Switched Roles
by RainEStar3
Summary: In a valley left untouched by Twoleg activity, three clans flourished. However, over time the clans began battling each other and even within themselves for pathetic reasons. Now, after being treated like dirt for many generations, she-cats have decided that they are dominate gender; and there's only one cat who can stop them. The only problem is, she's out of time.
1. Prologue

**Took me a lot longer than I expected, but I finally got this done. See you at the finish line!**

* * *

"That's the third time this quarter moon that you've brought back such a pathetic catch!" I heard a familiar she-cat screech. "How am I supposed to take care of these kits with this meager amount fresh-kill?"

"It's almost leaf-bare," a tom's calm voice reminded her. "Prey is pretty scarce right now. If the kits had come a moon or two sooner then-"

"Don't you dare try to lecture me about kits!" Was the hissing interruption. "Now go out there and catch me a decent meal!"

I slowly opened my eyes as I rose from my place near Mommy's belly. The sight in front of me was very familiar. Mommy was yelling with her fur bristled out on end, while Daddy was trying his best to calm her down. He would fail, though, just as he always did.

"It's already sunset," he reminded her. "All of the prey are heading to their warm dens in their warm dens right now." He didn't say it in a mean way, he was just pointing out a fact. But Mommy, as usual, didn't stop yelling.

"I don't care if you drag them out of their holes by their tails! You're not going to sleep before you bring something back to subsidize for this!" She lashed her tail at the single, tiny mouse Daddy had brought. "Now shoo! I don't want you waking the little ones up!"

"Actually, they are already awake," Daddy pointed out as he flicked a tail in my direction.

Mommy looked down at me and my littermates with widened eyes. As usual, I wasn't the only one woken up by Mommy and Daddy's shouting. My two sisters, Shadowkit and Ebonykit, were staring at our parents with sleepy looks on their faces. My brothers Darkkit and Shadekit were more awake, but unlike me, they still were rubbing the sleep from their eyes.

"Go back to sleep little ones," Mommy cooed to us softly. "Mommy and Daddy are just having a talk."

"You're being too loud," Darkkit grumbled as he rolled over. He was the largest and strongest of our litter, but he was a lazy furball. Even during the day he liked to nap while the rest of us played games.

"That's right," said Mommy with a small grin as she glared at Daddy. "This much noise is bad for little ones. _Daddy_ needs to _leave_ and go catch some prey. _Now_!"

"Yeah," Ebonykit piped up. "Because toms are supposed to do everything their mates say, right Mommy?" I resist the urge to gag. Ebonykit agreed with everything Mommy said, even when it sounded mean.

"That's right sweetie," Mother cooed as she nuzzled my eldest sister. "And when you grow up you'll be able to order around your own mate too."

Daddy looked at Mommy with disgust while she was focused on Ebonykit. He tended to give her that look a lot when her back was turned. I didn't think it was very nice, but Mommy was mean as well…

"Why are you still standing there?" Mommy asked Daddy angrily. "Get out there and find some fresh-kill!" Sighing and letting his tail droop, Daddy left to go hunt once again.

"Too loud… trying to sleep…" my brother Darkkit mumbled as he tried to settle down again.

Mommy scowled and pushed him away. "Let your sisters settle in first," she cooed. The sweetness of her voice was a big difference from the anger on her face. "Remember, she-cats first."

"Too tired…" Darkkit mumbled as he rolled back towards Mommy.

"Move you big, fat lump!" ordered my little sister Shadowkit as she pressed her paws against his flank. "Mommy said, 'she-cats first'!" Darkkit didn't budge, and then began snoring softly. "Mommy! He's not listening!" Shadowkit wailed as she continuously prodded our sleeping brother.

"Don't worry sweetie, he'll move," said Mommy with small smile. She forcefully pushed Darkkit away, sending him rolling into another queen.

"Hha?" the queen said in surprise as she woke up. She blinked rapidly as she tried to adjust her eyes. "Cloudstream! What did you do now?" she shouted when she saw my brother, a mere mousetail-length away from her side, staring at her with bleary eyes.

"He'll be fine, Leafblossom," Mommy said as flicked her tail lazily. "Toms are tough."

"Not until they're out of the nursery they aren't!" Leafblossom hissed at her. "Honestly, you're going to end up killing one of them one day!"

"Oh, hush," Mommy hissed back. "I know what to do with my own kits! Don't go lecture me when I have the biggest litter!" For some reason Mommy always bragged about how large our liter was, but I never understood why. She didn't even act like she liked Darkkit and Shadekit.

"Just because you have more kits doesn't make you any better," Leafblossom retorted as her fur began to bristle.

"So you think you're better for having less?" Mommy asked with a sneer.

"No, I'm saying that you're acting like a pompous mousebrain," Leafblossom explained. "If you keep acting like this in from of your kits, they're going to grow up to be just like you. Then what will you do?"

"Then I'll be proud that they finally realized how much better they are than toms," Mommy replied with a proud smile.

"Are you listening to yourself?" Leafblossom asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Remember, Shadepaw and Darkpaw are your kits and they're toms!"

"They're tom _kits_." Mommy clarified. "Tom _kits_ are tolerable, until they become toms, of course. Then they're just... there."

"I cannot believe we're having this conversation," Leafblossom hissed. "No, now that I think about it, I actually can. You're the most arrogant and immature cat in the entire clan!"

"At least I don't treat toms like they're equals!"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Well, they aren't! Or do you wish to disagree with that, Leafblossom?" Mommy challenged her. "You know how much Brightstar would love to have a chat with you if you did."

Leafblossom growled but didn't press the issue. "Just take your kit and leave me alone. And for StarClan's sake don't be kicking him around the nursery."

"I'll raise my kits as I see fit!" Mommy snapped back. She curled up back in her nest. When we had all climbed in next to her she cooed, "Good night, my little kits."

Time passed as I listened to Mommy and sisters drift off to sleep. Slowly and carefully, I slipped out from between them and creeped over to Leafblossom's nest. After taking another quick glance at Mommy to make sure she was asleep, I carefully prodded Leafblossom's side twice.

Slowly, Leafblossom rolled over to face me. Then she looked back to check to see if Mommy was still asleep. Satisfied, she nodded in Mommy's direction. Shadekit and Darkkit came tumbling out of the sleeping heap, quivering with excitement.

"You made too much noise," Shadekit hissed to Darkkit.

"Can't help that I'm bigger than you," Darkkit grumbled.

"Mommy says you're going to grow up fat like a kittypet," I giggled.

Darkkit's ears flattened. "Well, Daddy says that I'm going to grow up to be big and strong!" he shot back.

"Yeah, a big and strong furball!" I shot back.

"Better than a spindly mousebrain!" He growled.

"That's enough you two," said Leafblossom firmly. Darkkit and I stopped fighting and flattened our ears. "Apologize."

"Sorry, Darkkit, I shouldn't have called you a furball," I apologized.

"And I shouldn't have called you a spindly furball," he mewed.

"Can we have a story now?" Shadekit grumbled.

"Hold on, where are Spottedkit, Lightkit, and Twilightkit?" I asked. "Don't they want to hear a story too?" Spottedkit, Lightkit, and Twilightkit were Leafblossom's kits, and the only other kits in the nursery. They were two moons older than we were, but we still were great friends.

"My kits are with elders right now listening to their stories," Leafblossom replied.

"I wish we could go to the elders den," I said with my ears flat against my head. Mommy never let us leave the nursery. _Too many rotten toms around_ , she had said. _I can't have those nasty foxdu-foxbrained furballs tormenting my precious kits._

"So you don't like our nightly story times?" Leafblossom asked with a pout.

"No!" I shouted. "That's not what I meant!"

"Shh!" hissed Darkkit as he looked back at Mommy. Luckily, she was still asleep. "You almost woke her up mousebrain!"

"No, I didn't!" I protested, though I did it softly enough so that I wouldn't accidentally wake Mommy. "And you're the one who's a mousebrain!"

Leafblossom gave us a stern look. "Kits…" she warned.

We flattened our ears and mumbled apologies to each other again. Leafblossom was usually nicer to us than Mommy usually was, but she could be scary at times.

"Story, story, _story_!" Shadekit insisted.

"Well, what would you like to hear?" Leafblossom asked.

"I want to hear the one where you and Duskeye met each other, fell in love, and became mates!" I exclaimed.

"That one's boring," Darkkit grumbled. "How about the story of the battle we had with the NightClan? That's an exciting story!"

"Big deal," I huffed. "There was a fight and some cats died. That's sad, not exciting. _My_ story has a happy ending!"

He rolled his eyes. "It's a love story; they always have happy endings," he pointed out.

"As much as I would like to tell both stories, you kits need your sleep," said Leafblossom. "I can only do one story tonight and you'll have to choose fast."

"Love story!"

"Battle story!"

"Can you two please stop arguing so we can have at least one story tonight?" Shadekit growled.

"He wants us to hear a sad story," I complained.

"She wants us to listen to a boring story," he countered.

"Since you two can't seem to do anything but argue, Shadekit will get to choose tonight's story," Leafblossom decided. Darkkit and I opened our mouths to protest, but she cut us off. "I'm telling the stories here so what I say goes. Shadekit, what story would you like to hear?"

Shadekit thought hard about this for a few heartbeats. "How about… where the clans came from?" he suggested. "It's been awhile since you told us that story."

Leafblossom looked up at the nursery walls. That's what she did when she was thinking a lot. "That story is a little hard for me to remember," she said after a few heartbeats. "Despite it being about our clan history, I actually learned it from the elders of the RoseClan. I'm not sure I can remember all the details, but I'll try my best."

My brothers and I settled down in Leafblossom's nest as she began the tale.

 _Many moons ago, before our clans even existed; this valley was not a very friendly place. There was lots of prey, plenty of water, and many sheltered places to sleep in. However, large beasts called badgers and foxes ruled the area. The few cats that lived in the area were always living in fear of being eaten. This valley was a paradise all right, but not one for cats to enjoy._

 _Then, one day, StarClan guided two cats to this valley. They formed a camp in the center of the valley, and started recruiting cats into their clan. StarClan had favor on them, for the first few cats they managed to find in the area were eager to join their budding clan._

 _However, this did not sit well with some of the other valley dwellers. Dangerous beasts called foxes and badgers were in an outrage as they saw the clan slowly branching out its territory. Though the two species usually competed over territory, they temporarily were able to have a losse alliance that hinged on destroying the new completion. The battle was terrible. The new clan was still smaller than the size of our clans nowadays. They had no choice but to retreat, losing some of their lives and their home in the process. They found refuge in a cave behind a small waterfall. For moons, they lived in fear, only leaving their new camp to hunt for prey and new members._

 _The badgers and foxes quickly turned on each other once again, and this time their bloodlust was unmatched. From their hiding places the cats observed as the two species battled day after day with the sole goal of exterminating the other._

 _One night, after the night of the full-moon, the clan was surprised to see a second full moon. In all their lives they had never seen anything like it. The clan cats took this as a sign for their attack. They left immediately and started with the foxes. Despite being outnumbered and outmatched they managed to hold out against the wily beasts. The badgers took notice of the fighting and also joined into the fray. The clan then pulled away from the battle and let their two opponents battle each other, while they plucked off injured beasts from both sides. In the end, the foxes and badgers were both destroyed. They few of them left alive ran off soon after the battle, leaving the valley to the clan cats. However, this victory came at a price. Over half of the clan's warriors had died, leaving the clan's number to just a paw-full. The clan decided to retake their old camp and expand it, and left the old cave as a place of refuge for emergencies. As the moons flew by the clan swiftly took control of the entire valley, chasing off any straggling predators or rouge cats that did not wish to join them._

 _Despite the clan's success, they soon found that they had a new problem. They were having trouble patrolling their entire territory, and camp had grown overcrowded over the generations. Soon they had to split themselves into two camps: their original camp and their refuge hideout. However, this only worsened the problem. New deputies and medicine cats were appointed to take care of the duties of the two camps, and leadership positions and authority were heavily disputed. Then, the unthinkable happened._

 _Civil war._

 _The clan divided themselves into three groups and tore each other apart. Many moons of battle followed, until the leader of the formerly united clan decided that they should be officially divided into different clans. This quelled the fighting, and the three clans were given names and territories that suited them best._

 _The NightClan was made up of cats that were usually large and bulky, but surprisingly light on their paws. They made their territory on the northeastern rocky grounds that few cats dared venture in due to the amount of snakes and raptors._

 _The RoseClan cats were very lean and swift. They had their territory stretch over the sparse landscape in the west of the valley._

 _The LilyClan-_

"The best clan ever!" Darkkit interjected.

 _-held the smallest but fiercest cats of all of the clans. They lived in the forests, where the undergrowth could conceal them from their opponents._

 _Ever since then_ —Leafblossom hesitated a moment before continuing— _the clans have lived together in harmony. Sure, there had been a few battles and skirmishes. But for the most part, we have been happily in our own parts of the valley._

"Now is everyone satisfied with that story?" Leafblossom asked.

"It had battles," said Darkkit with a nod.

"And it had a happy ending," I agreed reluctantly.

"That's good to hear," Leafblossom said with a smile. "Now you'd better get back to your nests. You'll be ending up like your brother in a few heartbeats." She indicated Shadekit, who softly snoring next to us. Gently, she picked him up and herded us back to Mommy. Darkkit fell asleep the second he curled up in the nest.

"'Night Leafblossom," I said with yawn as I curled up with my littermates.

"Good night, Frostkit," said Leafblossom as she gave me a gentle lick behind my ear.

* * *

 **Sorry everyone, but I have to post the allegiances.**

* * *

 _ **LilyClan:**_

 _ **Leader:**_

Brightstar: grey she-cat with amber eyes

 _ **Deputy:**_

Treefall: brown she-cat with golden eyes

 _ **Captain:**_

Stumptail: brown tabby tom with green eyes and a short tail

 _ **Medicine cat:**_

Lilacbreeze: reddish-ginger she-cat with green eyes Apprentice: Hawkpaw

 _ **Warriors:**_

Tansyfoot: light brown she-cat with golden eyes

Flametail: ginger she-cat with a tabby-striped tail and amber eyes Apprentice: Ebonypaw

Violetheart: grey she cat with blue eyes Apprentice: Spottedpaw

Robinwing: dark tortoiseshell tom with a ginger belly and green eyes Apprentice: Twilightpaw

Shortclaw: grey tom with blue eyes and strangely short claws Apprentice: Shadepaw

Duskeye: black tom with amber eyes Apprentice: Darkpaw

Fernfoot:: slim grey she-cat with green eyes Apprentice: Shadowpaw

Blackclaw: black tom with green eyes

Fuzzyleaf: : brown she-cat with green eyes and long, soft fur

Mousestorm: white and grey tom with blue eyes

Snowfern: white she-cat with blue-green eyes Apprentice: Lightpaw

Blossombreeze: White she-cat with ginger spots and blue eyes Apprentice: Frostpaw

Grasspool: grey she-cat with brown patches and green eyes

Ivyblaze: brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

 _ **Apprentices:**_

Hawkpaw: mottled brown she-cat with amber eyes

Twilightpaw: dark ginger tom with golden eyes

Lightpaw: white she-cat with golden patches and green eyes

Spottedpaw: tortoiseshell she-cat with emerald green eyes

Darkpaw: : large black tom with blue eyes

Ebonypaw: black she-cat with white patches and blue eyes

Shadepaw: grey tabby tom with green eyes

Frostpaw: white she-cat with blue-green eyes

Shadowpaw: grey she-cat with blue eyes

 _ **Elders:**_

Stormclaw: grey tabby tom with golden eyes

Tansyflower: tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes.

Whiskerflower: white she-cat with grey tabby markings and blue-green eyes.

 _ **Queens:**_

Twigstripe: lean brown tabby she-cat with hazel eyes

Cloudstream: gray tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and blue eyes

Leafblossom: white she-cat with ginger patches and green eyes

 _ **Kits:**_

Volekit: grey she-cat with brown paws and amber eyes

Mousekit: brown tom with hazel eyes

Sunkit: light ginger she-cat with golden eyes

Rowankit: tortoiseshell she-cat with hazel eyes

 _ **RoseClan:**_

 _ **Leader:**_

Juniperstar: blue-gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

 _ **Deputy:**_

Darkfall: dark grey and black tabby she-cat with blue eyes

 _ **Medicine cat:**_

Grassblossom: white she-cat with silver spots and bright green eyes

 _ **Warriors:**_

Rowanstripe: ginger tabby tom with green eyes

Greycloud: grey tom with a white under belly and blue eyes

Snakefrost: grey tom with green eyes

Lightstreak: light ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Brookleap: white she-cat with long silky fur and hairless patches of burn scars and one sky blue eye

Amberflower: sleek black she-cat with deep amber eyes

Ripplefur: large, short-haired blue-grey tom with amber eyes

Sandfeather: slender cream colored tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Longstripe: black and grey tabby she-cat with green eyes and a long tail

Swiftfoot: small white tom with blue eyes black ears and paws

Redstreak: long-furred ginger tom with amber eyes

Whitefur: white she-cat with light blue eyes

 _ **Apprentices:**_

Ripplepaw: silver tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Goldenpaw: golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Blazepaw: ginger tom with amber eyes and black paws

Mousepaw: light brown she-cat with amber eyes

Sagepaw: black cat with pale green eyes and white ears.

 _ **Elders:**_

Morningshade: black she-cat with golden paws and yellow eyes.

Shadecloud: blind dark grey tom with pale yellow eyes

Daisypool: silver she-cat with ginger patches and blue eyes

 **Queens:**

Greywhisper: gray she cat with light grey paws and underbelly.

Tigerpetal: ginger she-cat with black tabby markings and bright blue eyes.

 _ **Kits:**_

Gingerkit: ginger she-kit with black ears and paws.

Tinykit: black she-kit with tan belly, legs and face.

Beekit: pale orange tabby tom with light green eyes.

Stripekit: pretty brown she-cat with amber eyes.

Badgerkit: black she-cat with amber eyes.

Mintkit: light gray she-cat with blue eyes.

 _ **NightClan:**_

 _ **Leader:**_

Hazelstar: grey tom with hazel eyes

 _ **Deputy:**_

Cloudstripe: light grey tabby tom with blue eyes

 _ **Medicine cat:**_

Willowflower: tortoiseshell she-cat with pale blue eyes

 _ **Shadow:**_

Paleshadow: grey tom with pale blue eyes

 _ **Warriors:**_

Emberfur: dark ginger she cat with one black paw and green eyes

Stoneflower: pale grey she-cat with green eyes

Coalpelt: dark grey tom with amber eyes.

Tigerflame: dark ginger tom with bright amber eyes

Blackstorm: muscular black tom with green eyes

Runningstorm: large ginger cat with one white paw and green eyes

Skyfur: large white tom with green eyes

Scarstorm: small silver she-cat with white paws, a white tail tip, blue eyes and a scar running from her right eye to her right foreleg

Frostshine: pretty white she-cat with silver paws and deep blue eyes

Batflight: dark brown tom with amber eyes

Badgerclaw: dark brown tom with hazel eyes

Wildstorm: dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Petalflight: sleek dark grey she-cat with light grey flecks on back and dark green eyes

 _ **Apprentices:**_

Amberpaw: small ginger tabby she-cat with white underbelly

Wingpaw: sleek dark tortoiseshell she-cat with one blue eye and one amber eye

Poppypaw: long furred cream colored she-cat with amber eyes.

Grasspaw: light brown tom with green eyes

Jaypaw: blue-gray she-cat with green eyes

 _ **Elders:**_

Applebreeze: light brown tabby with blue eyes

Ravenshadow: black tom with amber eyes

Rainfur: grey she-cat with amber eyes

Foxfang: ginger tom with black paws and green eyes

 _ **Queens:**_

Mistglade: silver she cat with blue eyes

Cloudbreeze: grey she cat with hazel eyes

 _ **Kits:**_

Shimmerkit: dappled silver she-cat with blue eyes

Silverkit: small silver she-cat with amber eyes

Pinekit: brown tom with hazel eyes

Nettlekit: brown she-cat with light brown eyes

Grasskit: grey tom with blue eyes

Brownkit: brown to with amber eyes

* * *

 **This story is a rewrite of a story I wrote and published here about 3 years ago. I decided that it needed some improvements and I need a break from the site, so I took it down. Now, here's the edited version.**

 **Special thanks to: _Scarstorm2000, Otterhope, Spottedfire-star, Espeonstar of Hyruleclan_** _ **, Icefall, Rache123, Amberflower, Lightstreak, Greywhisper, Noir's Revenge, Sunleaf13, Orbit, and Blazzer12**_ **! You all gave me so many OCs to work with in the original version of this story, and if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been able to do this!**

 **Also, the allegiances may look strange, but I'll explain everything over the next few chapters. Constructive criticism highly wanted!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Warning: This chapter will be tame.**

 **Yeah, lame warning. Enjoy! (Hopefully!)**

* * *

The moons passed by swiftly. My brothers and I often had story time with Leafblossom, who had stayed in the nursery even after her kits had become apprentices. My mother always spent her time dotting over Ebonykit and Shadowkit, who continued to follow in her pawsteps as the moons went on. She still spent time with me, but it was clear that she favored my sisters over me. I didn't mind though, since I found my brothers and Leafblossom to be much better company when Leafblossom's kits had moved out of the nursery.

As I waited patiently for her mother to finish grooming my sisters one night, I spied my father, Blackclaw, grooming Darkkit as well. The large black kit was obviously not enjoying himself, as Blackclaw had to forcefully hold him down to get the grooming done. "Why are you bothering cleaning me up anyway?" Darkkit asked as he tried to shy away from our father's rough tongue once again. "We're just going to bed."

My father purred as he continued grooming Darkkit. I spied Shadekit out of the corner of my eye and we shared a giggle at our brother's expense. Unfortunately, our mother noticed and dragged me to my sisters before she began grooming me as well.

"Come on now, Frostkit," she said in between licks. "Don't think I haven't forgotten you."

I was surprised that she didn't scold me for laughing with Shadekit, though I assumed it was because we were laughing at Darkkit. Scolding or no scolding, I soon found myself in the same uncomfortable position of my littermates. My mother's rough tongue brushed my down my messy fur until I was as clean as Leafblossom's kits were before their apprentice ceremony.

My eyes widened in realization, causing my sisters to look at me in confusion. Smiling, I shook my head. If they weren't smart enough to figure it out, then they would have to be surprised.

Sure enough, Blackclaw and Cloudstream led us out of the nursery after we were all cleaned up. Unsurprisingly, Cloudstream was nudging my sisters and me forward first, while Blackclaw led my brothers right behind us.

Our camp was huge; well, at least compared to the quickly crowding nursery. Trees and thick undergrowth hemmed the edge of our camp, protecting us from any cat dumb enough to try to find us. To my left, past the brambles that surrounded the nursery, was the apprentice den. Just like the nursery, it was surrounded by bushes, but lacked the brambles warriors had added to the nursery walls. I tentatively tried to pear through the thick, knotted mess of branches, but I couldn't make out anything on the inside.

To my right was the medicine cat's den. Lilacbreeze was our medicine cat, and she had an apprentice named Hawkpaw. I didn't know too much about them, sinceHawkpaw had left the nursery while I was still a moon old and I had actually talked to Lilacbreeze. They had visited the nursery before, when Twigstripe gave birth to her kits a moon ago. But that was it.

Turning my head back to the left, I spied the warrior den across the clearing, right next to the entrance of camp. The warrior den was the most open of the dens. A few large bushes provided a border, and some low hanging tree branches created a roof over the warriors' heads, but that was it. I suppose it was good for getting in and out of the den quickly, but didn't they feel cold during leaf-bare?

My mother took us around the edge of camp. I briefly peeked in on the elders, who were comfortably snoozing under the safety of their small willow tree. Despite how easy it was to push willow branches aside, they gave a surprisingly good advantage in ambushes. I knew from experience.

While I had said that the elders lived under a _small_ willow tree, that wasn't entirely accurate. Actually, the willow tree had collapsed many moons ago, and the elders lived under what grew back from the stump. At least, so they said. According to their stories, the trunk of the original tree is what made the Highperch. The Highperch was a large dead tree trunk that was wedged and entangled in in branches of a small bush. The end of the fallen tree reached higher than I could jump, and it was from there that our leader made her speeches.

Even as I was thinking about this, our leader, Brightstar, emerged from behind the fallen tree and leapt onto the Highperch. Her coat was a dull grey that heavily contrasted the bright gleam in her amber eyes. Even in the fading rays of twilight, it was clear that she was getting old. Technically, she was as old as the elders were, but I've heard that leaders tended to live longer due to their extra lives.

The old she-cat yowled to call the attention of the clan. "May all cats old enough to hunt their own prey gather to hear my words!"

"What's going on?" Shadowkit asked dumbly.

Ebonykit cuffed her lightly. "We're obviously going to be made apprentices, silly!" she exclaimed.

"I knew it!" I boasted. "I knew the second Cloudstream started grooming me!"

While my sisters gave me meows of congratulations, I heard Shadekit mutter to Darkkit, "I knew the second Blackclaw walked into the nursery. Cloudstream hadn't let him enter in forever."

As the crowded of cats grew and my sisters' attention had been diverted to Brightstar's wrinkled face, I let my tail gently brush over Shadekit's side in acknowledgement. He flashed me a brief smile in response as Brightstar finally began to speak.

"Cats of the LilyClan!" she yowled. "As you already know, the NightClan have pushing against our borders for many moons! In order to combat them, we will need more warriors! However, even the strongest of warriors need to start somewhere." She indicated in my direction, which prompted my parents to push my littermates and me forward. "Ebonykit!"

My eldest sister stepped forward with her tail and head held high. "From this day on, you will be known as Ebonypaw! Flametail!" she called out one of the senior warriors. A ginger she-cat with tabby markings on her tail stepped out from the crowd. "You have proven yourself to be a very loyal warrior to me. May you faithfully teach Ebonypaw the ways of our clan."

I smiled as I watched Ebonypaw and Flametail touch noses. It was my turn next!

"Frostkit!" I bounded forward even before the end of my name had left her lips. "From this day on, you will be known as Frostpaw! Blossombreeze!" A white she-cat with ginger spots and blue eyes stepped forward. She was one of the younger warriors, and the stiffness of her tail showed her nervousness. "I am entrusting this apprentice into your care. This will be your first apprentice, but I trust you will train her to be loyal to the clan."

I was giddy with excitement as I touched noses with the spotted she-cat, but I was puzzeled to find something in her eyes beyond nervousness. Fear, perhaps? But why would she be afraid? As we pulled away, I decided that I would ask her about it later.

The rest of the ceremonies proceeded in a similar fashion. Shadowpaw was apprenticed to a slim grey she-cat named Fernfoot. Darkpaw was apprenticed to Leafblossom's mate, Duskeye. Finally, Shadepaw was apprenticed to a grey tom named Shortclaw.

"Congratulations, my kits," my mother cooed. For once, she was addressing all of us instead of just my sister and me. "I know you're going to miss sharing the nursery, but every kit has leave at some point."

"Why would we miss sharing the nursery?" Shadowkit—Shadowpaw, I mentally corrected myself—asked. "It was so crowded in there! Darkkit alone took up the space of three cats!"

"That's not true!" Darkkit protested. However, once we started chuckling, he joined in as well. He was still the largest of the little by far, and looked like he was already in his third moon of apprenticeship. Other cats sometimes even called him the only NightClan cat of the clan due to his impressive bulk.

"Just make sure to share the space in the apprentice den," said Ebonykit. "The older apprentice may not understand your issues with space as much."

"Alright, let's settle down for bed," said Blackclaw, before Darkpaw could respond. "Darkpaw, Shadepaw, let's go prepare some beddings for your sisters."

Drakpaw grumbled, but obediently followed Blackclaw and Shadepaw.

"Can I go explore around camp?" I asked my mother.

"Don't you want to go meet with your new denmates before the toms prepare your bedding?" she asked. She flicked her tail to indicate that Ebonypaw and Shadowpaw were doing just that. They were in a circle of she-cat apprentices, and Ebonypaw was chattering away like a blackbird while Shadowpaw flicked her tail back and forth in excitement.

"I'll do that later," I promised my mother. "I just want to talk to some of the older cats first."

"Oh, alright," my mother replied. "Just remember, you can still ask the elders for stories even as an apprentice."

I nodded and smiled before I started walked towards the elders. I watched out of the corner of my eye as my mother slipped into the warrior den, and then doubled back on myself and headed straight to the nursery.

"Frostkit?" Leafblossom said in surprise as I padded into the nursery. She glanced at her denmate, a grumpy brown-she cat named Twigstripe. Thankfully, the other queen was asleep. "I forgot, it's Frostpaw now, isn't it? What are you doing here?" Leafblossom asked in a whisper. "I thought you would be with the other apprentices."

"I wanted to see you," I whispered back. "I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to talk to you again, so I just wanted to say thanks."

"For what?" she asked.

"Thanks for, well, being like a mother to me," I said. "I know Cloudstream is my real mother, but she's a little…"

"Mousebrained?" Leafblossom supplied.

"Yeah," I agreed, though I would never use that language in her face. "I just wish you were my real mother…"

Leafblossom got up and nuzzled the top of my head. "I'm sure your mother loves you very much, despite her faults," she said comfortingly. "It doesn't matter who your parents are, as long as you choose your role models wisely."

"I want to grow up to be just like you."

Leafblossom chuckled, but her laughter did not reach her eyes. "I think it would be wiser to seek your own path," she advised me. "Not all of my life has been perfect, and some of the mistakes I've made have been very costly."

"I don't care!" I declared boldly. "Nothing will stop me from growing up to be a cat as good as you!"

"Then I would suggest you start by heading to the other apprentices," she said. "Make some friends your own age, but choose them wisely. Sometimes, you'll find that friends stick closer than family. Can you remember that for me?"

"Yes!"

Leafblossom purred and gave me a gentle nudge towards the nursery entrance. "Then run along little one, and good luck." I skipped out of the nursery, but my ears managed to catch her whisper the words, "You'll need it."

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 **Was it good to have this chapter so soon? Should I have had a filler chapter of kithood? Tell me people! I must know how to improve!**

 **Reviews are food for the the writer's soul!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello Everyone! Once again, I have another chapter for you! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my story so far!**

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"Frostpaw, wake up!"

"Go away," I mumbled as I batted my paws in the direction of the voice. In response, I received a nip on my side. I swiftly rolled onto her paws, instantly awake.

"Told you that would work," Ebonykit purred to Shadowkit.

"It's too early," I grumbled. Then I remembered what had happened last night. "Wait, we're apprentices now!"

"Of course we are," said Shadowpaw. I mentally reminded myself to remember that our names had changed. "And now we're free to explore the entire territory!"

"Actually, we need to go meet with our mentors to see what they want us to do for the day," Ebonypaw informed us. "Come on, we're the last ones. We don't want to be late."

She and Shadowpaw ran out of the den immediately, but I lingered a little while longer. The apprentice den had the scents of my littermates, Leafblossom's liter, and Hawkpaw. While the den was meant to house more than two ordinary litters and an extra cat, the size of my litter made the den seem much smaller than it actually was. It was bigger than the nursery, at least, so it wasn't all that bad.

As I stepped out of the den, I opened my mouth wide to take in the early morning scents. I could smell last night's catch of fresh-kill still at the fresh-kill pile, but I wasn't hungry enough to eat stale mouse. I could smell the scents of my clanmates dance around me. I could tell that almost half of the clan had left camp, but scents of the departed ones still lingered fresh in the air and ground. I hadn't spent so much time observing the camp since I had first stepped out of the nursery, but now that I was an apprentice, I felt the need to once again familiarize myself with my surroundings. After all, now that I could leave camp, my world was going to get a whole lot bigger.

I finally made my way to the center of camp, looking around for my mentor. I saw Shadowpaw's tail dip through the camp entrance, and none of my other littermates were in camp. Unfortunately, I couldn't find Blossombreeze anywhere. I tried to trail her scent, but only ended up going around in circles around camp.

Just before I could go ask for help from the elders, a LilyClan warrior burst from the camp entrance. "NightClan are making another raid!" he yowled. Immediately every cat in camp flew into a flurry. Yowls were being raised, fur was bristling. Half-eaten fresh-kill were forgotten as the clan waited for their orders. I included, since I had never been out of the nursery during a raid before.

"Where are they, Mousestorm?" Treefall, our clan deputy, asked.

"They're attacking a hunting patrol near the clearing," Mousestorm replied. His chest was heaving from exhaustion, but a fierce fire of loyalty still burned in his eyes. "Inside our territory," he added with a growl.

"Every warrior and apprentice in camp comes with me!" Treefall yowled as the cries of uproar rose. "Elders and queens will protect the camp!"

I briefly wondered how effective a pregnant she-cat, Leafblossom, and three old cats would be against a patrol NightClan warriors, especially since Leafblossom was the only one among them who would be able to fight properly. However, I did not have long dwell on the thought. The torrent of my clanmates swept me through the camp entrance, and I soon found myself struggling to keep up as I raced through unfamiliar territory. I was nervous about battling NightClan warriors, especially since they were known to be massive and ruthless. However, Treefall had called for _every_ warrior and apprentice to come, so I didn't have much choice in the matter.

I had fallen behind my clanmates long before we had reached whatever clearing Mousestorm had been talking about. I padded along slowly as I followed their trail by both scent and sight. It wasn't until I could hear the sounds of battle that I finally broke into another run.

I skidded to a stop as I saw the end of the tree line. All of my life had been spent surrounded by the cover of trees, but the battles was out in the open. I didn't feel safe leaving the comfort the trees gave me, but I couldn't disobey the order of a deputy. I crept into the clearing as I got my first sight of the battle.

The fight was even more terrifying than I had imagined from the stories I had heard. There were at least a dozen of my clanmates fighting nearly as many NightClan warriors. Or, at least I thought they were all warriors. Most of them stood at least as tall as Hawkpaw, and some of them were larger than any of my clanmates. They were using their massive size to their advantage, slamming my clanmates to the ground and shaking them like kits. My clanmates were using their smaller size to avoid the attacks, but there weren't enough of them to do any real damage to the NightClan cats.

I suddenly shrank back and dived into the cover of a bush, shivering in fear. The NightClan were everything I had feared, and worse. I felt a nagging in my mind to join the fray with my clanmates, but a paralyzing fear gripped my body. It took effort for me to breathe, and it was impossible for me to move my paws. My tail lashed uncontrollably, I didn't have the strength to control it.

Then I heard Treefall yowl, "Retreat!" I could hear and smell my clanmates coming towards me, their fear-scents noticeable but less evident than my own. I tried to call out to them as they passed, but I couldn't get so much as a whisper come out of my throat. I stumbled to my paws clumsily, determined to run back to the nursery and hide, but then a light brown tom the size of Darkpaw barreled into my hiding place and landed on me.

I squealed in panic, which sent him reeling back. His eyes opened wide in surprise, and before he could recover, I dashed out from the bush and ran back to camp.

Unfortunately, my desperate dash led me straight into the path of a massive warrior who was at least four times my size. I felt a spasm of pain rip through my body the cat's huge body hit me harder than any of my littermates could ever have, and then I felt a sharp pain as my head smashed into something.

(line break)

When I woke up, I felt like I had birds pecking at my head. I groaned and rolled over, but the pain only got worse. I groaned again as I struggled to open my eyes. I couldn't tell if I was moving them or not, but the world was still black to me.

"Frostpaw! You're awake!" I heard Hawkpaw exclaim. I could hear her pawsteps approach me, but my eyes still failed to see anything.

Briefly, I was gripped with panic. "Hawkpaw," I mewed. "I can't see. A-am I blind?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Hawkpaw purred. "No, silly, you're eyes are just closed."

I sighed in relief, but I still was in pain and couldn't see a thing. "Can't move them," I grumbled as I tried to open my eyes in vain.

"That would be the poppy seeds," Hawkpaw told me. "You're probably still a drowsy."

"Don't like poppy seeds," I muttered. As far as I was concerned, anything that kept my eyes closed was a bad thing.

"They help with the pain," said Hawkpaw.

"My head still hurts," I grumbled.

Hawkpaw sighed. "Sorry, but I can't do anything about it," she said apologetically. "I'm pretty sure you'll be fine by tonight though, so just try to get some sleep." I heard her pawsteps leave the den.

I didn't want to go to sleep, and certainly didn't think I would be able to with the pain in my head, but it was long before I drifted peacefully to sleep.

(line break)

I woke up with a start. My eyes couldn't see much in the dark den, but I was relieved that I could see _anything_ again. The pain in my head was still there, but it was much less noticeable. I slowly stood up, wincing as my already limited vision blurred. I waited for the swirling to stop before I took a cautious step forward. Pain burned in my right shoulder, and I fell to the ground with a yelp.

Something in the back of the den stirred. I slowly turned around, finally noticing the ginger lump lying on a bed of moss. Lilacbreeze had turned over, but she was still asleep. I searched the den with more careful eyes, and saw Hawkpaw's mottled brown coat lying not too far away. Not wanting to wake them, I slowly rose to my paws and crept out of the den, making sure to lean heavily on my left side.

When I entered camp, I was surprised to find that there was no guard on duty. I frowned. Due to our feud with the NightClan, we always had at least one warrior on watch every night. Especially since the NightClan had invaded our territory early today—at least, I hoped it was today—it was more than unusual to have no guards out tonight.

I could hear muffled voices in the night, so I decided to follow them. My ears led me to Brightstar's den, and as I crept closer, I recognize the voice of Brightstar, as well as my mentor, Blossombreeze. I slowly and painstakingly crept to the entrance of the den to listen to their conversation.

"Sleeping in is no excuse for losing your apprentice!" I heard Brightstar snarl.

"Treefall took me on the night patrol right after the ceremonies," Blossombreeze explained. I could smell her fear-scent even from where I was, but she managed to keep her voice from trembling. "We got back at midnight, and I didn't wake up until I heard the commotion in camp. But by the time I had left the den, all of the warriors and apprentices were gone."

"Are you blaming Treefall for your apprentice's injuries then?" Brightstar asked in a hiss.

"No!" Blossombreeze protested. "The NightClan are responsible for Frostpaw's injuries—"

"And they are ruled by toms, correct?"

"Well, yes," my mentor admitted. "But—"

"There are no 'buts' to this," said Brightstar. "That tom-led clan is responsible for harming your apprentice, and you will do _everything_ in your power to keep her safe from them."

"Well, yes," said Blossombreeze, though she sounded a little uncertain. I heard her shuffle her paws. "Permission to ask a question?"

"You're already asking one," said Brightstar dryly.

There was a pause before Blossombreeze continued. "You know I'm not the best choice for a mentor," she said sullenly. "So why did you choose me to mentor Frostpaw? Doesn't she deserve better?"

"Pah, she's as bad as you," Brightstar replied. "I might as well keep my rotten mice together so they don't spoil the other fresh-kill."

I felt a wave of anger roll over me. _How dare she compare to a rotten mouse!_ I thought indignantly. I wanted to march right up to her and demand she take back the insult, but the dull ache of my shoulder reminded me that arguing with Brightstar was probably not the best idea.

I felt a new wave of fear-scent from Blossombreeze, but then I heard Brightstar chuckle. "You're a pretty little thing, and I know several toms have their eyes out for you," the old cat said. "In my days, you would've been shoved around by any tom that laid eyes on you, and you would've had your fist litter before you even left the apprentice den. Aren't you glad that we don't live in days like those anymore?"

"Yes," said Blossombreeze stiffly.

"Tense are you? Well then, let's get straight to the heart of the matter. You want to know why I put you with Frostpaw?" There was a pause that I assumed to be Blossombreeze nodding. "Your loyalty is in question," Brightstar stated bluntly.

I gasped, and then put a paw over my mouth. I didn't so much as twitch, hoping they hadn't heard.

Somehow, they must have missed it, because Blossombreeze stammered, "I-I'm not d-disloyal to the cl-clan."

"I never said you were," said Brightstar. "I've noticed that you're very loyal to your clan, but some of the worst traitors valued their ideals for the clan over their loyalty to the clan's leader. According to the warrior code, the word of the leader is law. Therefore, I need to be assured that every cat in my clan will listen to my orders instead of creating their own ideas of how the clan should be run. Understand?"

"Yes," said Blossombreeze slowly.

"Now, I know you're still young, so I think you can still be salvaged. All you have to do is prove yourself, and do you know how you'll be doing that?"

"Mentoring?"

"Yes!" Brightstar purred happily, sending shivers down my spine. "If Frostpaw becomes the prime example of LilyClan warrior, then you will be redeemed in my eyes. However, if she turns out to be traitorous, neither she nor you will be welcome in this valley." Brightstar said this calmly, without any malic in her voice, but that just made me even more terrified of her. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Blossombreeze stammered.

"Good. Now get out of my sight!"

I backpedaled as fast as I could when I heard my mentor's pawsteps approach me, but with the ache in my shoulder, I couldn't move fast enough. Blossombreeze tripped over my body and we both rolled with the impact. I luckily, I landed on my good shoulder, so I managed to resist yelping in pain,

Blossombreeze looked at me in alarm, but we both knew better than to say anything. She pointed her nose to the medicine cat den and walked me there. Before I went in she leaned close and whispered in my ear, "We'll talk tomorrow." I nodded, and slipped into the medicine cat's den.

* * *

 **Well that was a little... dramatic.**

 **For these three chapters I've posted thus far, I've basically been rewriting my old content while keeping the same plot direction. But now it's time to experiment. I'm not planning anything but the major plot point, just to see where this story goes. I know that's not the best way to write a story, but it sure is fun!**

 **Love it? Hate it? Just remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Here's another chapter for you! Unfortunately, I won't have a new one out for a good long while. School starts for me next week and I have to go through the usual preparations. Well, I'll let you read the chapter now.**

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"Do you feel any pain, Frostpaw?" Hawkpaw asked me as she massaged my right shoulder.

I hissed as her paws reached my collarbone. "Yes," I said through clenched teeth.

Hawkpaw continued massaging the rest of my body, but I only could feel the dull pain from my shoulder. "You have no broken bones or sprains," she assessed after she had finished. "Any pain your feeling is probably left over from having to relocate your leg yesterday. It's nothing serious. However, you should probably refrain from hunting or fighting until your shoulder is better. Remember to tell that to your mentor, and come back tomorrow so I or Lilacbreeze can see how you're healing."

"Alright," I replied. I stiffly walked out of the medicine cat den. Outside, I was met by the comforting sensation of patchy morning sunlight falling on my coat. Although I loved trees because of the shade and safety they provided, I enjoyed basking in the sunlight. The warmth from the sun's rays allowed me to forget the ache in my shoulder and the unusual conversation I had overheard last night. Which reminded me, I needed to find Blossombreeze.

I checked the warrior's den first, and found her there sleeping. After tiptoeing around two toms who were sleeping at the entrance of the den, I nudged my mentor's side with my nose.

Even that small prodding was enough to send Blossombreeze jumping to her paws. I was knocked off my paws as she flew from her nest. She looked around frantically, but calmed down when her eyes settled on me. "Oh, it's just you, Frostpaw," she said in relief. "Are you ready for your first day of training?"

"Hawkpaw said I can't hunt or train yet since my shoulder is still sore," I informed her.

"Well then, how about we go take a nice stroll along the border?" she suggested. "We'll take it slow and easy."

I nodded. We crept over the two sleeping toms headed towards the exit of camp.

"Showing your apprentice the territory?" Treefall asked as us when she saw us leaving.

Blossombreeze nodded. "We'll make sure to be careful around the NightClan border," she added.

Treefall nodded and turned to leave. Briefly, I wondered what she and Brightstar did when they stayed in camp. They rarely left camp, especially Brightstar, who rarely left her den unless there was a clan meeting or a gathering. Treefall also could usually be found in the camp most days. I had noticed this many times as a kit, but now that I was apprentice, I had a chance of having my questions answered.

After we had walked a few paces from camp, I opened my mouth to talk to Blossombreeze, but she laid the tip of her tail against my mouth to silence me. "Wait," she whispered as she continued walking.

I followed Blossombreeze silent and patiently. We traveled on a similar route that I had followed the battle patrol on. "Like all of the clans, our borders reach as far as the plants grow," Blossombreeze lectured as we walked. "Over here is our eastern border, which ends where the trees do. Our scent markers are only strong here to make sure the NightClan don't try sneaking around the borders in the clearing."

"Blossombreeze."

"Yes?"

"I thought we were going to talk about last night," I said. "It was… scary."

Blossombreeze stopped walking and turned to face me. "How much did you hear?" she asked.

"A lot of it," I admitted. "I woke up and heard you talking, and when I went to the den Brightstar was blaming you for me being hurt. But it wasn't your fault! Treefall said that all the warriors and apprentice needed to come!"

"Treefall wouldn't have let you come near the fight if she knew that you weren't with me," said Blossombreeze, though something in her voice made me doubt her words. "I'm usually on the night patrol, and I forgot that I needed to wake up early to train you. It was my mistake."

"But I was the one who went out of camp!" I protested.

"But as your mentor it's my job to keep you safe," Blossombreeze said firmly. I opened my mouth to protest again, but she cut me off. "Don't argue the point. Just, be more careful next time. Wait until you've had at least a moon or two of training before you try fighting in any battles."

"Alright," I replied glumly.

Blossombreeze nodded and continued walking. "You're already familiar with the clearing. Technically, it is part of the NightClan's territory, but they rarely leave the safety of their rocks just like we rarely leave the safety of our forest. Often, this is where most of our battles take place since it's the closest thing we have to neutral territory. Unfortunately, we rarely win battles that take place outside of our territory. Don't say that around others though, since Brightstar and Treefall don't like when we speak about our defeats."

"Blossombreeze," I interrupted her.

"Yes?"

"About last night…" I waited for her reaction before I continued. She nodded, so I kept going. "Brightstar said the NightClan was led by toms—"

Blossombreeze winced. "Don't think too much about what Brightstar told me," she said.

"But—"

"Frostpaw, you're too young to understand everything that's going on," Blossombreeze told me. "I promise, I'll teach you everything you want to know about Brightstar and the clan, but you're only an apprentice, fresh out of the nursery at that. You're too young to learn and understand some of these things. You have plenty of time to learn, remember that."

"Okay," I said reluctantly. I really wanted answers right away, but Blossombreeze made it pretty clear that she wasn't going to understand them right now. With my ears flat and my tail dragging behind me, I followed my mentor as she continued showing me the borders. I was glad that she took me through the places that were relatively level and clear so I wouldn't hurt my shoulder trying to go over or under obstacles.

"Over here, the trees are smaller and grow closer to the rocks of NightClan. This is a very dangerous place to patrol since there's not enough cover to hide in," Blossombreeze warned me.

"I thought we were supposed to defend our territory from the NightClan," I said.  
"Not hide from them."

Blossombreeze shook her head vigorously. "We may defend our territory, but those NightClan cats are much bigger than we are. Also—" She looked around the area with her ears alert before continuing. "The NightClan know how we treat toms in our clan. Some NightClan toms wouldn't hesitate to inflict extra injury on LilyClan she-cats like us."

"But we didn't do anything to anyone!" I exclaimed.

"They don't know and don't care," my mentor replied. "This is the trouble that our clan is in. The NightClan plague us for our injustices, but their frequent attacks only add fuel to the fire." She sighed. "But that's life for us. All we can do is cope the best we can."

"Why don't we just tell Brightstar she needs to stop being mean to toms?" I asked.

"No!" Blossombreeze said sharply. "Don't talk to Brightstar unless she speaks first, and even then keep your answers brief. Don't tell her anything that's negative to her or the clan."

"But why?" I asked. "The clan seems pretty bad, and Brightstar is mean."

Blossombreeze sighed. "Just listen and obey," she said. "Remember, you'll learn more things over the moons of your apprenticeship. Be patient and obedient until then, alright?"

"Sure," I said reluctantly.

"I want you to promise me that you'll obey every order I give you," said Blossombreeze sternly.

"But why?"

"Frostpaw," she said in a stern growl.

"Fine, I promise to obey every order you give me," I vowed.

She nodded. "Now, let's continue exploring the territory," she said. "Is your shoulder okay?"

I moved my right foreleg around in circles. "It aches a bit, but I'll be able to keep up," I assured her.

"Then follow me."

She led me through the trees, which continued to diminish in size. I was surprised. Although I had never been outside of camp before, I had always expected that the trees would be thickest in the center of the valley. Instead, I saw more small shrubs, and I could smell something that was unfamiliar and smelled earthy.

"We won't go any farther in this direction because of your shoulder," Blossombreeze told me as she came to a stop. "Beyond us is the swamp. All three clans border the swamp, but no clan has claimed it as their territory. I've heard that the NightClan and RoseClan hunt there during harsh leafbare, but Brightstar doesn't allow us to hunt there even if we're starving."

"Isn't that kind of dumb?" I asked. "If we need to eat, shouldn't we do everything we can to find fresh-kill?"

"Actually, Brightstar is smart in this decision," said Blossombreeze to my surprise. "We don't have much water on our territory, so we don't know all of the dangers the swamp has, and we don't know how to catch prey that live in the water. There is also the other clans to worry about. They wouldn't hesitate to fight us for hunting rights, and they know how to fight opponents in the water. We wouldn't stand a chance.

"But that's not the half of it. Dangerous snakes slither through the swamp. They're difficult to see and hear, and impossible to smell over the odor of the swamp. They strike fast and efficiently. They've killed full-grown warriors that strayed too far from dry land before.

"And then there's the swamp itself. While our small size makes it easy for us to hide, it makes us more vulnerable to the mud."

"But how can mud hurt us?" I asked. "It just sits there."

"Yes, but we can fall into the mud," Blossombreeze informed me. "Sinking into swamp water can drown us, but we can swim to the surface. Swamp mud is different. The mud clings to fur and it doesn't move as easily as water. Although we don't sink fast, it's almost impossible to escape from the swamp once we're stuck in the mud."

I shivered. "I'll make sure to stay away from it then," I said. I was relieved when Blossombreeze took me in another direction. I could see a cluster of bushes that smelled like the LilyClan, NightClan, and another scent that I guessed was the RoseClan.

"Over in those bushes is the gathering place," Blossombreeze informed me. "Since it's outside of the tree line, it's technically on RoseClan territory. However, they don't usually patrol this small piece of territory between the trees and the gathering place because it's not rich with prey."

"The RoseClan smell strange," I commented as I wrinkled my nose. The NightClan also smelled different from my clanmates, but they smelled like moss and mountain breeze, which I was familiar with. The RoseClan lacked the smell of plants I was used to.

"They're territory is much open then ours, so you're probably smelling the rabbits they eat and the open air they live in," Blossombreeze told me. "The RoseClan aren't as aggressive as the NightClan, but they still are a rival clan. Aside from the Gathering, you shouldn't spend time around them.

"Whose side do they take?" I asked

"You mean in our feud with the NightClan?" I nodded. "Neither. They don't get involved in fighting unless it's brought to their territory."

"Is that good or bad?" I asked.

"That depends," Blossombreeze replied. "On one paw, we don't have to worry about them attacking us unprovoked. On the other paw, we can't rely on them for help if the NightClan stray a little too deep in our territory."

I nodded.

Blossombreeze pointed her nose father west. "This is the RoseClan border," she informed me. "As usual, our territory stretches as far as the tree line. However, there are a few sparse trees on the RoseClan's side of the territory. Apprentices sometimes cross the border by mistake while hunting prey. Be careful not to make that mistake. Once when I was an apprentice, the RoseClan decided that they had enough of apprentices crossing the border and lied in wait for the next one careless enough to do so. Brightstar was furious, and declared war on the RoseClan for the entire moon. However, by the next Gathering she realized that it was impossible to fight the other two clans at the same time even if they weren't actually allies."

"Brightstar seems hot-tempered."

"Like most of our clan, she's extremely fierce," Blossombreeze said in partial agreement. "Sometimes this is a strength, and sometimes it can be a weakness. That is why she has a deputy and medicine cat to balance her when she makes decisions."

"But don't they always agree with her?" I asked. "I've never heard of them disagreeing with Brightstar."

Blossombreeze purred. "You're smart for your age," she complimented me. "To answer your question, no, they do disagree on issues. However, they do it out of the public eye to give a display of unity. Unfortunately, Treefall's assertiveness and loyalty doesn't keep Brightstar in check. Lilacbreeze isn't much better. She's very temperate, so she doesn't bother to agree with Brightstar unless it's a really major issue."

I frowned. "Is there anything good about our clan?" I asked.

"There are many good things about our clan," said Blossombreeze as she continued walking. "We're agile and very good at hiding. On our territory, we're untouchable and can ambush our opponents at will. We're the only clan that climbs trees well, so we're the only ones who can ambush our opponents from above. No clan is better than us when it comes to tracking and disguising our scents since we're used to distinguishing scents in the thickness of the forest."

"But doesn't that mean we're only strong on our own territory?"

Blossombreeze shook her head. "No, it only means that we're strongest on our territory," she said. "There's a difference. Each clan is strongest in their own territory, it would be silly if they weren't. Even outside of our territory we still have our agility and strong senses. Remember that."

I nodded.

Blossombreeze fell silent as we approached camp. "Take the rest of the day off," she told me. "If your shoulder is better tomorrow, then we'll start your physical training."

I nodded again. I sighed in relief as we ducked into camp. I hadn't wanted Blossombreeze to know, but my shoulder had cramped up painfully on the return trip. I wanted nothing more than to head straight for the medicine cat's den. However, Treefall met us immediately upon our arrival.

"Did you two have a pleasant stroll around territory?" she asked us, though her eyes were focused on me.

"I showed her our borders," Blossombreeze replied with a nod.

Treefall's golden eyes bore into my blue-green ones. "Did you enjoy it?" she asked me directly.

I nodded frantically. "Blossombreeze also told me about our clan's strengths," I added.

Treefall nodded in approval. "Good work," she said to us, but I could tell that this was directed more to Blossombreeze. The brown she-cat stalked off to Brightstar's den, leaving us alone.

"You'd best go to Lilacbreeze for that shoulder," said Blossombreeze with a knowing smile when Treefall was out of earshot.

I looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"You walked more carefully and favored your left side more than you did when we first left camp," she replied. "That's why we didn't cover the far side of our border with the RoseClan. Next time though, just tell me. I'm not going to cuff your ears because you're in pain. Now shoo!" She cuffed my ears playfully as she gave me a small push towards the medicine cat den.

* * *

 **I hope this chapter was up to your expectations. As you can see, this story is starting off with some really slow pacing. It'll speed up eventually, but not until the place is well established. I don't want to lose you guys.**

 **Like it? Hate it? Leave a review! Remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!**


	5. Chapter 4

**I'm finally back from my hiatus! Unfortunately, I won't be updating chapters regularly, but at least I'm back to updating!**

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, the pain in my shoulder was nothing more than a dull ache. I stretched my right foreleg in multiple directions, but I didn't feel any strong discomfort. As I stuck my head out of the den, I saw the dawn patrol leaving through the camp entrance. I carefully and quietly padded to the medicine cat's den. When I reached the entrance, I waited outside for a moment to check if anyone was awake inside.

"If you call that stalking, then I won't be expecting any prey back from you today," Hawkpaw commented from within.

Grumbling in irritation, I stepped inside the den. Lilacbreeze wasn't inside, and Hawkpaw was dutifully sorting herbs. "How'd you know it was me?" I asked as I padded toward her.

She flicked an ear towards me. "Who else would visit the medicine cat den so early and attempt to be stealthy about it?" she asked. "Don't answer that. Just let me finish this and I'll check on you."

I sat down, but tried to peer over Hawkpaw's shoulder. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm separating our wilting herbs from our fresh ones," Hawkpaw replied. "It's important to restock regular so our poultices are more effective."

I nodded, though I didn't really understand how the age of herbs affected their effectiveness.

When Hawkpaw was finally done, she turned to me and said, "I'm just going to massage your shoulder again. Tell me if you feel any discomfort or pain."

As she worked around my shoulder, I felt a dull ache when she prodded my collarbone. "It still hurts a bit there," I told her.

"Try moving it around," she instructed me.

I moved my right foreleg to the best of my ability. "It doesn't hurt exactly, it just aches a bit," I said.

Hawkpaw nodded. "It appears your injury was worse than I thought," she said thoughtfully.

"How bad is it?" I asked fearfully.

She shook her head. "Not bad enough for you to worry," she said reassuringly. "I think the pain should be fully gone by tomorrow. You can resume your normal training."

"Okay. Thanks!" I told her as I scampered out of the den. Although I didn't want to tell Hawkpaw so, the medicine cat den did not agree with me. There were far too many scents and far too little light. I didn't realize it on my first visit, but after so many visits I didn't want to spend any more time in there than necessary.

"Frostpaw!" Blossombreeze exclaimed in relief as she bounded towards me. "I was looking all over for you!"

"Sorry," I apologized. "I went to the medicine cat den and only got out now."

"Is it bad?" she asked with concern.

I wasn't entirely sure, but I shook my head. "Hawkpaw says I can resume training," I said. "My shoulder still aches a bit, but she says it'll be fine by tomorrow."

Blossombreeze purred. "Well then, are you ready for your first day of real training?"

"Yes!"

"Then let's go; I don't like the look Treefall is giving me."

(line break)

I hit the ground hard. I groaned and rolled onto my back. "I'm done," I mumbled.

"Come on, Frostpaw," Blossombreeze encouraged me. "You're no quitter."

"Now I am," I grumbled as I reluctantly rolled to my paws.

"Attack me again, but make sure you dodge my counterattacks this time," said Blossombreeze.

I circled around my mentor cautiously. On my first attempt to attack her, I had tried to tackle her like I had done with my littermates. However, I quickly learned that direct attacks weren't very effective. No matter how hard I pushed against her, I couldn't even in force her to take a step back. Now I tried to see how to catch her by surprise, but she was considerably faster than I was.

I sprang forward, but my mentor jumped aside with ease and pounced. I tried to pull away, but my limbs clenched up and I stood petrified as my mentor's body approached me.

She bowled me over easily. "Frostpaw, you need to dodge," she told me firmly as she stepped off me. "You can't freeze up every time I attack."

"Sorry," I mumbled as I rolled to my paws. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Blossombreeze shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with you," she assured me. "You're just not taking to fighting very quickly. Don't worry, we'll try hunting next. I didn't get to show you the southern part of our territory yet anyway."

(line break)

"The trees are thicker on the eastern side of our territory, so more prey make their homes there. But here there are less foreign scents to disturb you. Try to find the scent of mouse."

I opened my mouth and tried to find the familiar scent of mouse. The forest had many more scents than the camp did, so it was hard for me to unravel them all. I ignored the unfamiliar ones and tried to find the familiar scent of mouse. After a few seconds, I found the scent, although it was a bit faint.

"I can smell mouse," I announced.

"Good, now go catch one," said Blossombreeze.

Feeling more than a little uncertain, I ventured away from my mentor. I followed the trail as well as I could, and it led me to a small hole at the base of a tree. I hissed in frustration and lashed my tail angrily, sending a few stray leaves billowing away.

"Don't get too frustrated."

I jumped and whirled around to see my mentor standing no more than a foxlength away. "The scent was stale anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised you managed to pick up on it, but you're going to need to learn to distinguish between fresh and stale scents," she informed me.

I hung my head dejectedly. "I have a lot to learn," I said glumly.

"It's no problem," said Blossombreeze. "You're very smart for your age, I'm sure you'll catch on quick. Now, what other type of prey can you scent?"

I opened my mouth wide to let in the flood of scents. "I smell trees and ferns," I replied, ashamedly. "I can smell other scents… but it's hard to tell."

"Think about fresh-kill," Blossombreeze instructed me. "Remember the scent of fresh-kill lying in the fresh-kill pile. Remember those scents, focus on those scents, and find those scents."

I closed my eyes and mentally pictured the fresh-kill pile at camp. I recalled the familiar scents, and then took another sniff of the forest. In light of my memories, I managed to find a few scents that were familiar. "I smell… squirrel?" I guessed.

"Close," said Blossombreeze. "Actually, that's a chipmunk. They're like squirrels, except smaller and without the bushy tails. Now, you notice how this scent stands out among the others?" I nodded. "That's because it's fresh. When you follow it, make sure to be stealthy. Lower your body to the ground, but make sure you don't rustle any stray leaves. Make sure your tail doesn't drag, and remember to keep it out of your way without it bumping into anything."

I nodded uncertainly as I tried to move into the correct position. "Like this?"

She shook her head. "Watch." She lowered herself into the hunting crouch. "You need to keep your body level, don't let your haunches rise too high. Try it again."

After a few more tries, I finally got the hunting crouch right, and Blossombreeze let me pursue the scent. I thought for sure the chipmunk would be gone by the time I arrived to where scent was freshest, but to my surprise I could clearly see it nibbling on a seed. I carefully crept forward, make sure to rustle any stray leaves or twigs. The chipmunk was too far away from the undergrowth for me to get as close as I would like, but I still tried my best as I sprang for the small rodent. Unfortunately, my pounce fell short and the chipmunk scurried away. I chased it in hot pursuit, but in clambered up a tree before I could even come close to reaching it.

"Excellent try," Blossombreeze called from the undergrowth. "You just got a bit unlucky. Don't worry; I'm sure you'll improve."

"I hope so," I said dejectedly.

Blossombreeze wrapped her tail around me. "You're a very smart apprentice," she said softly. "Frostpaw, remember that."

(line break)

Despite Blossombreeze's comforting words, I didn't end up catching a single piece of freshkill the entire morning. It was well into sunhigh before we arrived back at camp, with Blossombreeze carrying two mice in her jaws. She had offered to let me carry one, but I didn't want to parade into camp with a catch that wasn't my own.

To make matters worse, Treefall greeted us at the entrance. "Looks like you haven't been able to teach your apprentice how to hunt," she said to my mentor in disapproval.

"Frostpaw learns very quickly, it was just bad luck today," Blossombreeze said meekly. It was now that I noticed that Blossombreeze acted cowardly in front of Treefall and Brightstar, but didn't appear nearly as jumpy when we alone. It made me wonder which side of her was the real one, if any of it was real at all.

Treefall sniffed disdainfully. "Well then, hopefully your luck improves by next sunrise," she said. She turned away and stalked off to another part of camp.

"Why does she always bother us?" I asked my mentor in a low voice.

"She likes to keep an eye on everyone in the clan, it's her job," Blossombreeze explained. "We just get special attention for… certain reasons. Don't think too much about it. Here." She laid one of the mice at my paws. "Eat up, and then go check on the elders. I have other things to attend to."

"Warrior duties?" I asked with a sigh.

"Warrior duties," she confirmed with a nod.

"Alright…" I said glumly. Blossombreeze flashed me a sympathetic smile before running off to the warrior den. I suspected one of her "warrior duties" included napping, but I didn't want to get caught by another warrior if I tried to sneak in. I slowly ate my mouse and trudged to the elder's den.

"Well it looks like one apprentice isn't in a good mood today," Whiskerflower chuckled dryly as I entered the den. She was the oldest elder in the clan. Her blue-green eyes were unfocused and her white and grey pelt was unkempt from poor grooming. "What is it that has you down little one?"

"I think she thinks she's too mature and important to see us old furballs," purred Stormclaw, a grey tabby tom. "And to think, it was only a few sunrises ago that you were a kit that loved listening to our stories. It's surprising how fast they grow."

"It is good to see you again," I assured them. "I just had a bad day today."

Tansyflower, a tortoiseshell she-cat, beckoned me forward. I padded to her and lay down next near her paws. "Now, what seems to be the trouble, Frostpaw?" she asked me.

I wiggled uncomfortably for a few moments before replying. "I didn't catch anything when I went hunting," I confessed with my ears flat against my head.

"Is that all?" Stormclaw asked pleasantly.

Tansyflower cuffed his ear. "Don't tease her," she scolded him sharply. "First hunts are very important to apprentices, remember?"

Stormclaw shrugged. "Not all apprentices bring back fresh-kill on their first day," he replied. "It's not the worst thing that could happen."

Whiskerflower snorted. "I still remember your first hunt," she reminded him.

"Oh, don't—"

"Stormclaw was so cocky that he made a bet that he would catch the largest piece of fresh-kill among _all_ of the apprentices," said Whiskerflower with a sly grin. Stormclaw buried his face between his paws and uttered a low and raspy groan. "Of course, since he was the youngest of the apprentice, he was against some fierce competition. By sunhigh, some of the older apprentices had brought back squirrels, birds, and even a grass snake. Stormclaw was so determined to catch something bigger that he stayed past sundown. His mentor had to go fetch him!"

"You forgot to mention that I won the competition with that huge rabbit I caught! It was as large as a fox I tell you!"

"I remember that you arrived so late that you were disqualified," Tansyflower said with a snort.

Stormclaw grumbled, but didn't offer up a retort.

I couldn't help but crack a grin. It was times like these that made me remember why I liked the elders. They were free to joke and tease each other without worrying that some grumpy deputy would interrupt their fun. They could spend their days resting and telling stories instead of hunting or patrolling like the warriors. Their easy life made me almost want to be an elder myself.

"Now while you're here, Frostpaw, I don't suppose you could help me take care of a few ticks?" Whiskerflower asked. "I'm afraid I can't take care of myself like I used to when I was your age."

I wrinkled my nose.

Almost.

* * *

 **Sorry for the filler chapter, but the world is still being fleshed out. I promise, some action will come soon. Just give me some time to give you a good feel for the characters before the apocalypse okay?**

 **'Till next time! And remember kids, reviews are food for a writer's soul!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello my faithful readers!**

 **Yes, it has been a long while. I blame classes. And laziness. And distractions. But at least I'm finally done!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Frostpaw!"

I dropped my mouse in surprise. I whirled around to see Shadowpaw padding toward me with a wide grin on her face. "Oh, hi, Shadowpaw."

"Why are you looking so down?" Shadowpaw asked. She gasped. "Are you having trouble with Blossombreeze?"

I shook my head vigorously. "She's a good mentor," I assured my littermate. "I just… have had a little trouble with stuff."

"Stuff?" She leaned in closer to me. "What kind of stuff?"

"You know, the usual apprentice stuff," I replied vaguely. "Anyway, where's Ebonypaw? Aren't you usually with her?"

Shadowpaw's ears drooped. "Flametail took her out hunting, and Fernfoot had to go do something for Brightstar, so she told me to stay in camp until she got back." Her ears rose again as she grinned at me. "So I decided to spend some time with you! We don't talk much anymore even though we still share the same den. I mean, we share it with a lot of other apprentices now, but you still seem to talk to the tom apprentices more than your own littermates."

I was going to remind her that two of those toms _were_ our littermates, but I decided that the center of camp was not the best place to discuss this. "When did you get so talkative?" I asked. I picked up the mouse I had dropped and walked to the entrance of the apprentice den.

"I did?"

I put the mouse down. "Yes, you did," I replied before tearing into my mouse. It wasn't a particularly large specimen, but it was all I had caught when Blossombreeze had taken me hunting at sunrise. I didn't want to take more from the pile than I could provide, so I was going relish my meal as much as possible before I headed out with my mentor again. At least, that was my plan before Shadowpaw showed up. Now I had to figure out how to get away from her in the gentlest way possible.

"Funny, I didn't notice," Shadowpaw replied thoughtfully. Unfortunately, she did not ponder on that thought for very long. "Anyway, have you done anything exciting recently?"

"Not really," I replied truthfully. "My days have been pretty much the same: hunting, battle practice, napping, eating. Nothing really special." I took another meager bite from my mouse and chewed it slowly.

"Well, I saw a RoseClan cat."

I spat out my mouthful of mouse. "What?"

"I saw RoseClan cat," Shadow repeated. A sly grin crept over her face. "She was _really_ close to the border too."

Suddenly, my mouse didn't seem as important as Shadowpaw's story. "How big was she? What was she doing? When was this?"

"She was scrawny old elder. I'm pretty sure she was smaller than half of our warriors!" Shadowpaw boasted. I didn't bother to point out that making short jokes when we were smallest clan was more ironic that insulting, especially when they were worded in a way that made no sense. "She wasn't really doing anything. She was just standing there, looking at the trees. Fernfoot and Snowfern tried to get her attention, but she didn't even look at us. Eventually a RoseClan patrol passed by and took the old mousebrain to their camp. I wonder if all the RoseClan are as crazy as she was. My mentor says that they try to remember everything, which is kind of silly. If you remembered everything you ate and said for every day of your life it would be so confusing. Maybe that's why the old cat was so crazy! She was so tired of remembering everything that she went mad! What do you think?"

"Huh? I, uh…" I truthfully and droned her out and returned to my mouse when she started speculating the madness of the RoseClan cats. "Yes?" I hazarded.

Shadowpaw beamed. "I'm glad someone agrees with me for once! Ebonypaw thinks that most of my ideas are dumb, and the other apprentices agree with her a lot. Hey, I just realized that you don't spend time with other she-cat apprentices either! Where are you always off to anyway?"

"Elder's den," I replied instinctively. It wasn't a complete lie. Ever since my first visit, I had been visiting the elders more often. "Oh, I think I hear Blossombreeze calling me," I lied as I spotted my mentor in the corner of my eye.

"But I didn't hear—"

I stood up quickly before she could finish. "Sorry, I have to go hunt with Blossombreeze. See you later!" I walked as fast as I could to my mentor I restrained myself from running but just barely.

"Wait!" Shadowpaw yelled as she bounded after me. "Can I come with you?"

I stopped and turned to her. "I thought Fernfoot was going to take you out when she got back."

"But she's taking forever!"

I sighed. "When did she leave?"

"Right before I found you."

"And do you know when she's coming back?"

"No…"

I hesitated. "I don't think she would like it if you left when she told you to stay in camp."

"She doesn't have to know."

"What if she's waiting for you when we get back?"

Shadowpaw's mouth opened, but she struggled to find a good response. "Fine," she said glumly. "Have fun and happy hunting!" She grinned, but I could tell that it was not completely genuine.

"Thanks," I replied quickly as I continued walking to my mentor. She was talking to Duskeye, and I couldn't see Treefall anywhere, so I felt it was safe to approach her.

"Ah, Frostpaw, we were just talking about you," said Nighteye as I approached.

"You were?" I asked in what I hoped was not a nervous squeak.

"Yes," said Blossombreeze. "We wee discuss the progress of your training."

"Oh."

"There's no need to sound disappointed," said Nighteye. "Your hunting skills need a little work, but you're not too far behind. You have the knowledge, and with time you'll be to apply it well."

"But I'm hopeless in battle practice," I muttered.

Blossombreeze and Duskeye shared a look. "Frostpaw, battle practice is important, but there is more to life than fighting," said Duskeye. "Look at me." He flexed the powerful muscles that rippled under his coat. "I'm a fighter by nature, but I have the stealth of chattering squirrel. When leaf-bare comes around, I'm one of the most useless warriors in the clan. I've heard talk Brightstar wanting to exile me out of the clan to starve to death because I can rarely catch as much food as I eat. But when it's time to defend our borders, I'm always recruited to be in the front of the charge. Right behind Treefall, of course," he added with a wink.

"You see, Frostpaw," said Blossombreeze. "Every cat has strengths and weaknesses. You may struggle a bit with hunting, and you're not a natural fighter, but you have something very powerful at your disposal. Something stronger than all the claws and teeth you can count."

"What is it?" I asked in confusion.

"Your head."

I visibly deflated. "You always say I'm smart, but how can being smart help when I'm still behind the other apprentices in everything?" I asked.

"You'll see," said Nighteye mysteriously, as he gave my mentor a knowing wink, which she returned.

"Come along now, Frostpaw," said Blossombreeze. "The fresh-kill aren't going to just walk into to camp you know."

* * *

"Now, what do you know about catching birds?"

"They don't have a good sense of smell or hearing, but I should still stay downwind and be as quiet as possible. They have excellent vision and can see a lot of their surroundings at once, so I need to make sure their head is facing directly away from me if I want to approach."

"Good job," Blossombreeze whispered in praise. "Now to put that knowledge into practice."

I nodded. My target was a robin that was sitting on a low tree branch. I could snag it from its perch easily, but I needed to get closer to it first.

I crept along the forest floor as silently as I could. I made sure each of my paws avoided stray leaves or twigs that could alert the bird of my position. The bird was staring off in the distance, and it's head was head was faced away from me. I could feel the rush of the hunt urging me to go faster, but I knew that speed was useless against prey that could fly. So I continued padding forward at a steady pace.

The bird suddenly turned around and I froze. It was looking in my direction, but it hadn't flown away, so I knew it couldn't have spotted me despite my stark white coat. I waited patiently for the bird to turn away, and soon enough, it did. I resumed my careful walk until I was only a foxlength away.

I tensed my muscles in preparation. I couldn't creep any closer due to the lack of cover, but I knew that it would take sheer luck to nab it from this distance. I carefully weighed my options.

Once the bird had hopped around on its branch to face me, I struck. It saw my pounce long before I reached it, but it was unable to get away as fast as it would have it if had been facing away from me. Birds, for some reason I couldn't understand, didn't fly backwards. If I had approached from it's side or back and it had noticed me, it would have flown away in the direction its body was facing. However, since its body was turned to me, it resorted to flying upwards to get away. This was its fatal mistake. If it had flown left or right, it might have been stood a chance, but since it flew straight up, it was already over.

I landed on the branch the robin had been siting, which was where I had aimed to land in the first place. Not wanting to risk flying over my head, the robin turned around before trying to make its escape, which gave me the time I needed to spring up and bat it with my claws.

I had underestimated by jumping abilities, so only one of my unsheathed paws managed to reach it. But I still managed to draw blood and mar its tail feathers. The bird clumsily fell to the ground as it spiraled out of control. It flapped its wings to regain altitude, but I nabbed with a pounce before it could get away. After a sharp bite to the neck, it was officially over.

"Excellent catch!" Blossombreeze praised me. "That was a very creative method you used. You might have to teach me sometime."

"I just used what you taught me," I replied sheepishly. "It wasn't anything special."

Blossombreeze shook her head. "Frostpaw, you have no idea just how special you are," she said. "You haven't even an apprentice for a moon and you already are finding your own hunting tactics. If you keep this up, you'll be a very reputed warrior. Who knows, you might even be a leader some day."

"That's what everyone tells the apprentices and kits," I told her with a roll of my eyes.

"I'm only speaking the truth," she replied. She glanced up at the sky. "It's getting late, how about we see if we can get in some final battle training done before we turn in for the night?"

"Ok, I guess," I said reluctantly.

* * *

"What is everyone doing here?" I asked as we approached the training hollow. The hollow was surrounded by all of the apprentices and their mentors. I could even see Hawkpaw, though her mentor was nowhere to be seen.

"You'll see," my mentor replied mysteriously. I rolled my eyes and huffed.

"Is that everyone?" Flametail asked.

"Frostpaw and Blossombreeze are the last ones," Hawkpaw confirmed.

"Good." Flametail raised her voice to be heard above the conversing cats. "As you all know, the Gathering is in two days. We have five new apprentices tonight, but as usual, they will not be given a free pass to attend the gathering."

I raised my eyebrows. "I thought all new apprentices went to the gatherings," I whispered to Blssombreeze. She shook her head without taking her eyes from Flametail.

"In order to show that they are worthy to go to the Gathering, they will have to prove themselves through a trial of combat!"

Now I was really confused. I knew that Brightstar chose who was going to the gathering, and they were announced on the day of the Gathering. I had never heard of this combat ritual before. Blossombreeze's face was difficult to read, but I didn't see any of fear or nervousness in her eyes. I scanned the faces of my littermates. Darkpaw and Ebonypaw had carefully guarded expressions, but I could tell by their eyes that they were scared and confused. Shadepaw was twitching with nervous excitement. Shadowpaw was also fidgeting, but her energy seemed to come more from genuine excitement than from fear.

"Usually, each new apprentice is paired with an older one, but since our latest litter of apprentices outnumbers our current apprentices by two, the remainders will be teaming up against Hawkpaw." Flametail turned to Shadowpaw. "Shadowpaw, you will start this off by fighting Lightpaw."

I pawed the ground anxiously as the two apprentices walked to the center of the sparring hollow. I knew Shadowpaw was decent enough at hunting and sparring—at least, I'd heard no complaints about her abilities—but Lightpaw had moons of experience over her. This was a rigged match. In fact, everything about this was rigged. There was no way they could expect us to win with such a large disadvantage.

"Begin!"

Lightpaw made the first move, springing on Shadowpaw before I could even blink. Shadowpaw rolled to avoid it, but when Lightpaw landed she whirled around and continued her assault. Shadowpaw continued to dodge as she tried to find an opening, but three pounces later Shadowpaw's reflexes failed her, and Lightpaw knocked her to the ground.

Flametail nodded but didn't comment on the fight. The outcome was obvious. "Next, Ebonypaw and Spottedpaw." My sister and Lightpaw's litter-brother replaced the two other apprentices. "Begin."

Just like Lightpaw had done in her match, Spottedpaw struck first. Ebonypaw, being smaller, had no choice but to dodge. However, instead of dodging constantly as she searched for an opening, Ebonypaw only let Spottedpaw pounce once before she batted his face with her paws. Spottedpaw stumbled back, surprised by the fierce assault. He fell on his back. Ebonypaw leapt on him, but Spottedpaw reared and kicked her with his hind legs. The blow knocked the wind out of Ebonypaw, which gave Spottedpaw plenty of time to leap on her.

Just like before, Flametail made no comment before announcing the next pair. I couldn't even read her face. "Shadepawpaw and Twilightpaw. Begin."

Twilightpaw made the first move with a predictable pounce. Instead of jumping or rolling aside, Shadepaw pressed himself to the ground and let Twilightpaw sail over him. Twilightpaw turned around to continue the assault, but Shadepaw had already jumped on his back and nipped his ear. Twilightpaw reared, throwing Shadepaw off. Shadepaw jumped to his feet and tried to pounce again, but Twilightpaw met him in mid-air. Given that Shadepaw was small for his age and was moons younger than Twilightpaw, it was no wonder that Twilightpaw easily managed to pin a winded Shadepaw when they hit the ground.

"Finally, Frostpaw and Darkpaw will go against Hawkpaw."

"Isn't Hawkpaw a medicine cat apprentice?" Darkpaw asked. "Why are we fighting her instead of each other? Wouldn't that be more fair?"

I shrugged just as Flametail announced, "Begin."

Unlike the three previous apprentices, Hawkpaw did not attempt to start the match aggressively. Instead, she crept towards us while remaining low to the ground in a defensive position.

"We'll hit her from both sides," I whispered to Darkpaw. He nodded. We split up and circled around Hawkpaw. She tried to alternate her gaze between us, but I noticed she paid more of her attention on Darkpaw. That was understandable, since he was close enough to her size to actually be a threat. I waited patiently for her to glance away from me, and pounced.

Hawkpaw was distracted by my sudden motion. She whirled around to meet me, moving faster than I would expect from someone who spent all her time in a cramped den. Darkpaw took the opportunity of my distraction to pounce as well. In that split second, I thought we had her.

And then she rolled out of the way.

Darkpaw and I collided over where Hawkpaw used to be. Darkpaw, being bigger and heavier, toppled me over and inadvertently ended up pinning me to the ground. Hawkpaw sat on both of us as we moaned in pain.

Even though me headed was ringing, I could see Flametail's frown as she nodded to Hawkpaw. The medicine cat apprentice rolled off us and helped us stand to our paws.

"The trials of combat are now over," said Flametail. "It's a shame that not one of the new apprentices managed to win against their opponent."

Ebonypaw's fur bristled. "They have two moons of training over us!" she protested. "Those fights weren't fair!"

Flametail gave Ebonypaw a stern glare. "Do you think you have the right to determine what is fair?" she asked.

Ebonypaw flattened her ears and backed down, but Shadowpaw interjected, "Eonypaw's right! There's no way we could win!"

Flametail diverted her attention to Shadowpaw, but before she could say anything Shadepaw called out, "How would you expect us to be able to win? We haven't even been training for a moon!"

"You set us up for failure," Darkpaw grumbled.

I said nothing, but I paid close attention to the facial expressions of the other apprentices and their mentors. Most of them looked at us with a mixture of awe and surprise, and Hawkpaw was doing a poor job of surprising a grin.

Then it hit me.

"We were supposed to fail, weren't we?" I asked Flametail. Something in the back of my clicked as the words came tumbling out of my mouth. "This was like a test in one of the elder's tales. The impossible test. No matter what we tried, we were going to end up failing anyway, and you just wanted to see how we would act when under impossible odds."

Flametail looked at me for a moment, and then turned to my littermates. Then she turned back to me. "Correct," she said, as the corners of her mouth turned up in a small grin. "This wasn't a trial of combat, but of will. To pass, all you needed to do was fight to the best of your ability."

"Though on the rare occasion an apprentice will actually win against their opponent," one of the mentors added.

"But that not happened in many seasons, and we do not expect you all to get lucky," said Flametail sternly. "The LilyClan thrives not because we are swift or large, but because we have the sheer will to overcome any obstacle. Only apprentices who pass this test have proven that they have the willpower needed to become a RoseClan warrior and represent us at Gatherings." She glanced up at the sky as the sun shone orange rays through the branches. "It is getting late, it is time we return to camp. Dismissed."

Blossombreeze nearly knocked me over as she curled around me. "Oh, I knew you could do it!" she exclaimed with a purr.

"I passed the test, but I still lost the fight," I pointed out.

"Yes, but did you notice anything different?"

"I don't feel as bad about losing this time?"

"That's… good," said Blossombreeze slowly. "But that's not what I mean. Were there any incidents during your session?"

"Incidents?" I echoed. "No… there wasn't… Oh…"

Blossombreeze beamed. "That's right! You didn't freeze up once! You see? You can fight! All you have to do is focus on your goal and you'll be able to put aside your nervousness."

"You're right," I said in realization. I began to feel giddy as excitement flowed through my body. "Thank you so much! I can battle now like a real warrior!"

"I did nothing," Blossombreeze said humbly. "It was you who did all the work. Now, how about we head back to camp? I'm going to bet you're hungry."

"Frostpaw!"

I turned my head to see Shadowpaw beaming at me. "I'll be right back," I told my mentor before I padded to Shadowpaw.

"Wasn't this fun?" Shadowpaw asked.

I looked at her in surprise. "I rammed heads with Darkpaw and was sat on by Hawkpaw, _while_ Darkpaw was already crushing me," I told her flatly. "While the test was… interesting, I wouldn't use the word fun."

"It's fun if you cheat," said Shadowpaw mysteriously.

I snorted. "How do you cheat in a test that's disguised as another test?" I asked her.

" _I_ knew it was a test in disguise the entire time."

"Yeah…" I said skeptically.

"I'm serious," she insisted. "I overheard Fernfoot talking about the test with Flametail. It's supposed to be a secret from the apprentices, that's why Blossombreeze didn't answer your question."

I blinked in surprise. _How did—?_

"Shadowpaw!"

Shadowpaw jumped up. "That's Fernfoot! I'd better go. See you tomorrow, Frostpaw!"

"Wait!" I exclaimed as she started bounding away. "How did you know I asked Blossombreeze about the test?"

She flashed me a cheeky smile. "I have good ears!" Before I could question her further, she bounded away.

* * *

 **Some character building and a small amount of action. I'm pretty sure you can guess where the next chapter will take place, and it'll be _very uneventful_. Right?**

 **I would like to give a shout out to everyone who have reviewed this story so far. Bookstar525, Blackstar915, LightskyxDarkfeather, Suicide Forest, and DaisystarofDaisyClan; you all have taken the time to review this story, which is in a pretty much dead fandom. Without you, this story would not be as far along as it is now.**

 **On a slightly more personal note, I have a question for you all. I also write on a site called Fimfiction. For those who don't know, that's a site dedicated to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Now, I usually keep my pony stuff on Fimfiction and other stuff here because I'm too lazy to double post, but would any of you be interested in reading any pony-related stuff (crossover or otherwise) if I were to post it here? Let me know! And remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm terribly sorry for taking so long to write this chapter!**

 **The bad news continues... but I'll let you read the chapter first!**

* * *

"I can't believe we're going to the gathering!" Shadowpaw squealed, flicking her tail back and forth eagerly as we walked in single file.

I batted her tail away from my nose. "Save some of that excitement for when we get there," I told her in the gentlest way voice I could manage, considering her tail hadn't stopped attacking me ever since we left camp.

"Frostpaw's right, Shadowpaw," said Ebonypaw. "We need to make sure the other clans know how refined we are."

"Some of us are more refined than others," I heard Shadepaw whisper so lowly I could barely hear. I stifled a laugh as Shadowpaw's tail once again flicked my nose.

"We're here!" Ebonypaw called out in a poorly suppressed squeal of excitement. I wasn't the only one who surged forward to get a good look at the place.

The Gathering Place was surrounded by a hedge of thick bushes, which made it hard for me to see anything besides an indistinguishable wall of pelts. The unfamilar scents were confusing, but intriguing. Brightstar and Treefall led the way, entering through two of the several well-beaten paths. I found myself lashing my tail as I waited to get inside.

"Watch it," Shadepaw hissed as he batted my tail aside.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly without turning around. Of course my apology was sincere, but I was very excited to get inside the hedge. When my turn came I practically dove through the path.

The inside of the Gathering Place was overwhelming. The scents that had tickled my nose earlier were now hitting me in full force. I could smell the earthy scent of the NightClan, and the fresh scent of the RoseClan. I didn't know a single cat from the other two clans, but I thought I recognized a few of the NightClan cats who had attacked our borders less than a moon ago. And then I realized that every single cat there was bigger than me. I shrank back and slunk into the midst of my clanmates.

"They're intimidating, aren't they?"

I looked up to see Darkpaw looking at me with concern. "Maybe a little," I replied.

He lied down on his belly before assuring me, "You have nothing to worry about. We're at peace while the moon is full. No matter how scary they look, they'd have to be crazy to risk the wrath of StarClan. You know that."

"And I also know that some cats are crazy enough to show their claws during gatherings," I replied. "I've listened to the elders' stories."

"Don't worry so much. You're overthinking this. I know, how about we go up to one of the NightClan apprentices and see what they're really like?"

"Are you crazy?" I asked in shock. I wasn't a scared little kit, but the cats around us were several times my size. I was just being a _bit_ cautious.

Darkpaw mused over this for a moment. "I don't think so. Now come on, the best way to deal with you fears is to face them with a brave face."

"And where'd you here that saying from?"

"Blackclaw, on the day we became apprentices."

I sighed in defeat. It was hard to argue against my father's wise words. "Fine, but we come back if it turns out I'm right and they do want to rip our pelts off."

Being larger, Darkpaw led the way to a group of apprentices who had scents of both clans. They group had been chatting among themselves, but fell silent as we approached. I shrank back even farther behind my brother. "Hello, I'm Darkpaw," he introduced himself. "And this is my littermate, Frostpaw." I gave a small nod of greeting as I waited to see their reactions.

A light brown tom was the first to speak. "You're big," he commented to Darkpaw.

A blue-grey she-cat who was next to him cuffed his ear. "What my brother means to say is, nice to meet you," she said. "I'm Jaypaw, and he's Grasspaw. We're from the NightClan."

A silver tabby was the next to speak up. "I'm Ripplepaw, and this my brother, Goldenpaw." She indicated a golden tom with similar tabby markings.

"And this is Sagepaw," said Goldenpaw, indicating the black and white cat curled up next to him. "We're from RoseClan. Are you two new apprentices?"

"Yes," Darkpaw replied. I could feel his muscles relax, even though I hadn't noticed their earlier tension. "And we have three other littermates with us too."

Grasspaw's eyes widened. "That's a really big litter!" he exclaimed. "But if there's so many in your litter, shouldn't you all be like, really tiny?"

Jaypaw cuffed Graspaw's ear again. "Ignore him, he talks with his paw in his mouth," she said.

"Sagepaw's a new apprentice as well," said Ripplepaw. I had a feeling she was trying to politely redirect the conversation.

The mentioned she-cat nodded in affirmation. "It looks like our clans are getting really strong with all of these new apprentices popping up," Ripplepaw continued. "Even Grasspaw and Jaypaw have only been apprentices for a little over a moon."

"Impressive," said Darkpaw with a nod. I could tell that he was at a loss for words. Despite this being his idea, long conversations were never his specialty. He slowly stepped aside to reveal me to the others.

"Is your littermate shy?" Grasspaw asked Darkpaw.

"N-no," I replied. "I'm not."

"You really need to stop intimidating the other apprentices," Goldenpaw told Grasspaw sternly. "So far that's two that you've terrified."

"Take his advice," said Jawpaw before Grasspaw could reply. "It's not a good idea to make enemies out of the other clans before you're even halfway through your apprentice training."

"I'm not making enemies!" Grasspaw protested.

A loud yowl interrupted the conversation. "The Gathering will now begin!" Brightstar rasped. At once every cat in the clearing fell into silence.

"The RoseClan would like to begin, if no one else objects," said the she-cat I assumed was the RoseClan leader.

"Of course, Juniperstar," said a grey tom, probably the BlackClan leader.

Brightstar said nothing.

"The prey is running well, and our clan continues to grow in number!" Juniper star announced. "Daisypool has moved to the nursery!"

Yowls of congratulations rang through the crowd. Not knowing who Daisypool was, I didn't join in. I noticed that Darkpaw didn't either, he just looked around in confusion. "Why is everyone else cheering because the RoseClan will be having new kits?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "How should I know?" I asked. "I've never been to a gathering before either."

"We also have a new apprentice joining us today," Juniperstar continued. "Sagepaw!"

Sagepaw refused to move from Goldenpaw's side, so he picked her up and placed her on Ripplepaw's back so the other cats could see her. Even in the elevated position, the small apprentice shrank into tiny ball.

"That is all the RoseClan has to report."

Hazelstar looked at Brightstar, who didn't respond. "I suppose the NightClan will be going next," he said. He paused and looked at Brightstar, who didn't make a move to interrupt him. "One of our elders, Duststep, went to hunt in StarClan."

Once again, I was surprised when the majority of the cats were saddened by the news. My clan and the RoseClan had no connection to this elder, and yet they were still expressing sympathies. It was strange, an entirely foreign concept. I made a mental note to ask Leafblossom about this later.

"However, our clan is still strong and the prey is running well," said Hazelstar. "That is all for the NightClan to report."

Brightstar remained unmoving. The two other clan leaders exchanged worried glances.

"What's going on?" I asked no one in particular.

"She's your leader, you should understand the old fleabag better than us," said Grasspaw.

"Hush!" hissed Jaypaw.

"Brightstar, are you ready to announce your clan's news?" Hazelstar asked gently.

Brightstar hissed and arched her back. "Well look at you, acting all nice while we stand in front of all the clans!"

Despite Brightstar being nearly half his size, Hazelstar took a hesitant step back. "I'm not sure what you mean by that," he said warily.

"Don't try the innocent look!" Brightstar spat. "You're not vulnerable, and we all know it! Cut the act and let's get down to the point! You've attacked our clan for the last time you smelly piece of foxdung!"

"Brightstar," said Juniperstar with narrowed eyes. "This is a Gathering—"

"Keep quiet, kit!" Brightstar snapped.

"No one talks to Juniperstar like that!" A rose-clan cat shouted. Other yowls of protest rose up in agreement.

"What is your leader doing?" Ripplepaw asked Darkpaw and I. "Is she trying to break the truce?"

Darkpaw shrugged. "I don't know what she's doing, but I don't like where it's going," he said. "Any ideas, Frostpaw?"

I frowned as I went into deep thought. "She's definitely provoking them on purpose, but I don't see why," I said, scrambling to figure out Brightstar's reasoning behind her actions. "There's nothing for us to gain from getting the RoseClan angry, and we already have enough trouble with the NightClan." Then I realized my present company and added, "No offense."

"None taken," said Jaypaw.

"Why aren't you getting on her case about insulting us?" Grasspaw asked.

"Grow up," said Goldenpaw. "And hush, and trying to hear what they're saying."

"You won't be able to hear anything for a while," said Ripplepaw.

Brightstar's sharp yowl cut through the air. "Hazelstar, your attack nearly killed one of my clan's newest apprentices! You've taken our squabble too far!"

Hazelstar's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"One of my apprentices that was fresh out of the nursery was nearly mauled by your warriors trampling over as you tried to reach our camp!" Brightstar hissed. "You dare try to keep your innocent façade after attempting to attack our camp unprovoked."

"My warriors did not attack your camp!" Hazelstar protested.

"I never said they did you insolent piece of foxdung!" Brighter retorted. "I said your warriors _tried_ to reach our camp, and nearly killed one of our young apprentices in the process! You're lucky our warriors are too honorable to kill!"

"But that's not what—"

" _Silence!_ From this moment on, any NightClan cat we find on our territory will be attacked without mercy! My clan is not made of pushovers, no matter what you think! LilyClan, we are leaving!"

I turned back to the other apprentices, whose expression were a mix of shock and suspicion. "Nice… meeting you?" I said hesitantly.

Grasspaw narrowed his eyes. "Our clans are at war, and I won't hold back you because you're small," he growled. For once, Jawpaw didn't reprimand him for the stinging words. She avoided making eye contact with us, as did the RoseClan apprentices.

"Pick on someone your own size, mousebrain," hissed Darkpaw.

"You think I'm scared of you?" Grasspaw asked.

"You should be!"

"Your clan is led by a crazy she-cat lunatic, you think I'm afraid of any of their pushover kits?"

"Frostpaw, we're leaving!" Ebonypaw called.

I turned to see that most of our clan was already trailing out. "Coming!" I called. I nudged Darkpaw, who gave Grasspaw one last glare before turning around, and we followed our clan out of the Gathering place.

* * *

 **Of course, the gathering went swimmingly (in hatred and suspicion)!**

 **Now I have bad news and good news. let's get the bad news out of the way.**

 **You know how I've been uploading roughly a chapter a month? Well there's a reason for that. Naturally it only takes a two to five days to write a chapter depending on the length, amount of new characters, difficulty of the scene, etc. However, I've been so busy that I only spend a few days a month writing this story, which is why the updates have been so sporadic.**

 **But it gets worse. I'm kind of trying to get a job. Preferably, I'll be able to get an online job as a voice actor (Search RainEStar on Castingcall dot club if you want to see my budding VA profile). If I get that kind of job, I'll still be able to write "regularly". If not... I'll see if I can get a up for my writing. If that fails... I'll find a work study job. And I don't know when I'll have time to write if that happens.**

 **But fear not! Because I do have some things you'll be interested in!**

 **I'm importing more MLP stories for those who are interested.**

 **An MLP/Avatar: the Last Airbender crossover! And it's AU, which basically means I mashed the universes together to make my own little world!**

 **I'm working on a fanfiction for Cardfight! Vanguard. It'll take a few months for me to finish fleshing out the characters, planning the plot, and finishing the first few chapters, but yeah I'm branching out!**

 **At some point, I will take so time to work on just this sotry, and my Animorph/Warriors crossover! Not sure when, but I have it planned!**

 **This A/N is getting long, so I'll end it here. Remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Finally finished this chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

While the walk through our territory was silent, everyone was buzzing once we were inside camp.

"What was Brightstar thinking?" Blossombreeze wondered aloud.

"I'm pretty sure she had a good reason for confronting Hazelstar that way," said Tansyfoot. But even the senior warrior didn't seem confident in her words.

"But the attack didn't happen like that…" Hawkpaw's voice trailed off.

"But they still attacked us," Fernfoot said. "Brightstar's speech is bound to scare them away."

"I don't think so," I muttered under my breath. I had seen the looks of the NightClan apprentices. They didn't fear us, but I'm pretty sure they hated our guts now. The warriors hadn't looked too happy either. Brightstar made a strong impression for sure, but I don't think it had been the right one.

"You okay, Frostpaw?"

I jumped as I noticed Shadowpaw sitting next to me. "Sh-Shadowpaw," I stammered. "Yes, I'm fine. Sort of."

Shadowpaw tilted her head as her eyes gleamed with curiosity. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Thinking," I replied immediately.

"About what?"

I sighed. "Shadowpaw, Brightstar just angered the entire NightClan, and I'm pretty sure the RoseClan think we're idiots right now. Do you know how bad this could be?"

She shook her head.

I took a deep breath and explained. "The NightClan could decide to challenge us and actually invade our camp, for real this time! The RoseClan are neutral, but right now they seem likely to side with the NightClan if things get heated. We can't fight both clans at the same time! We'll be slaughtered!"

"What if we just fight the Night Clan first before they have a chance to attack us?" Shadowpaw asked. "Then, even if the RoseClan decide to side with them, we don't have to fight them both at once!" Shadowpaw purred as she came to her conclusion.

"That would work," I agreed. "If we could beat the NightClan on their own territory."

"We can do that easily!" Shadowpaw declared. "We're fierce, and we've been keeping them off our territory for moons! They won't know what hit them!"

I shook my head vigorously. "I've fought them once. They were strong, really strong. The only reason we can keep them off our territory is because we are capable of hiding in the undergrowth to Ambush them. However, their territory doesn't have enough cover for us to hide in. There's no way we could attack them and win."

"But we're fierce!" Shadowpaw repeated. "The fiercest clan is the strongest clan, that's what my mentor always says!"

I sighed and let my ears droop. "We may be the fiercest clan, but the more I learn about the other clans, the more I think we're actually the weakest clan." I raised my paws and slowly padded to the apprentice den, hoping that the morning would bring clarity and peace.

* * *

"Frostpaw, get up!"

"Hu-wha?" I asked blearily. I opened my eyes to see Lightpaw standing over me. "Is it time to get up already?"

"Yeah, there's a clan meeting. We're going to be late."

I frowned as I rolled out of my mossy nest. "A clan meeting?" I echoed. "This early?"

Lightpaw nodded. "I'm not sure why, but I bet its important," she said. "Let's hurry so they don't start without us."

As we crawled out of the den we were met with the red rays of pre-dawn sunlight. Treefall was already addressing the clan.

"—This patrol will be made of not our strongest warriors, but our most intimidating ones. Then, the real attacking patrol will attack from the opposite side."

"We would have to travel on the edge of RoseClan territory to get into position in time," said Flametail.

"So be it," said Treefall. "These are Brightstars orders."

"But using the apprentices as bait?" Violetheart protested. "This isn't right."

"Leaders word is law," Fernfoot reminded her.

"And they will be perfectly safe as long as they stick to the plan," said Treefall. "We already know one of our apprentices who's a little to eager to fight, but I'm sure she's learned from her past mistakes."

I curled myself into a ball as several pairs of eyes glanced towards me.

"I don't like this," grumbled Duskeye.

"We're defending our borders and following the warrior code," said Treefall. "If you still have a problem, maybe you're loyalty is in question."

"I'm as loyal as any warrior!" Duskeye snarled as he raised his hackles.

"Easy there, Duskeye," said Stumptail softly. "This plan isn't ideal, but it's the only way we'll convince the NightClan to take us seriously."

Duskeye scowled, but lowered his hackles.

"Now, unless there are any further objections?" Treefall scanned the crowd, but everyone rather agreed with the plan or was too scared to say otherwise. "Hawkpaw, take the other apprentices and go to the swamp. Stumptail, gather your warriors and prepare to charge at dawn. The rest of you come with me."

I joined Hawkpaw and the other apprentices as we left the camp with the swarm of warriors. As I pushed through the opening I glanced at the almost empty camp behind us. "Are we really going to leave camp undefended?" I asked Hawkpaw. "And what's this about bait?"

"We'll need every warrior available to raid the NigthClan," Hawkpaw replied. Then she gave me a curiously look. "And weren't you listening to Treefall?"

"I kind of missed the first part," I said sheepishly.

Hawkpaw nodded in understanding. "The dawn patrol will reach the swamp at a certain point. We'll be there, training for the most part, until they show up. Our job is to distract them for as long as possible, and even get them to cross the border if we can."

"But we can't fight a patrol!" I exclaimed. "Even with our numbers, they're still much stronger than we are."

"We're not trying to beat them," said Hawkpaw. "We're only trying to draw their attention so that they don't notice the two large patrols that will be invading territory. Besides, even if there is a hothead or two on the patrol, it's unlikely that they'll be a real fight. No patrol leader wants to report back to camp saying that they wasted patrol time fighting apprentices." She frowned. "Still, you and your littermates could get hurt, so be careful."

I nodded as I processed her words. I could see how we would be able to hold up the patrol; so many unattended apprentice would draw the attention of any clan warrior. However, I knew what the NightClan cats were like. I shivered as I remembered how easily they ripped through our ranks in the last fight. If it did come down to a fight, I doubt that the nine of us could put up a fight against a patrol of three NightClan warriors.

The other apprentices spoke in low whispered as we approached the border of our territory. Shadowpaw and Ebonypaw tried to get me into their conversation, but I was still thinking about what we were about to do. The plan may have been for the good of the clan, but it was as though Treefall didn't care that we were likely to be hurt.

I was pretty sure that this wouldn't be the last time I would have this thought.

"We're here," announced Hawkpaw, startling me out of my stupor. Sure enough, I could see the edge of NightClan territory, and the warm, earthy smell of the marsh was lightly flowing on the wind.

"What now?" Lightpaw asked.

"You'll be sparring," said Hawkpaw. "Pair up and spread out, as close to the NightClan border as possible. I'll keep an eye out for the NightClan, but your job is to act like you're here to train, and the best way to do that is to train for real."

Twilightpaw immediately paired up with Darkpaw, which made sense, since those toms were the biggest of all of us. Ebonypaw hissed a challenge to Shadowpaw, while Lightpaw and Spottedpaw gave each other a nod and separated. That left Shadepaw and me as partners.

"Ready?" Shadepaw asked.

"I guess," I replied.

We moved closer to the NightClan border in the direction of the swamp. We were the farthest from the border than the other pairs, but I don't think either of us minded. Our sparring was half hearted, as we kept glancing toward NightClan territory as if a patrol would appear from thin air and attack us. Time seemed to crawl as we sparred, until we heard a sharp squeal and turned to see Shadowpaw lying on the ground, rubbing one of her eyes with the back of her paw. Ebonypaw stood over her, looking guilty and scared.

"What happened?" Hawkpaw asked.

"I-it was an accident!" Ebonypaw stammered. "We were batting paws, and then she suddenly stopped and I think her in the eye and it's not my fault—"

"Easy now," said Hawkpaw. "I'm a medicine cat apprentice, remember?" She turned to Shadowpaw. "You okay?"

"I think so," Shadowpaw replied as she stopped trying to rub her eye. She blinked several times, and then rolled to her paws. "Yup, perfectly fine!"

"Make sure not to let your guard down like that in a real fight though," said Hawkpaw. "An opponent wouldn't hesitate to take the opportunity to attack you while you're exposed."

Shadowpaw nodded. "I know, but I thought I heard something."

My eyes widened as I glanced to NightClan territory. While I couldn't see or smell any NightClan cats, I noticed thatwhat I had thought shadow of one of the rocks was irregular. I peered closer, trying to distinguish the difference in the shadow's color. While it was hard to tell in the light of dawn, I was pretty sure I could see the outline of a pair of ears sticking out from the shaded grass.

I gasped and jumped back. "NightClan," I said under my breath.

Apparently, I had said it louder than I had intended. All of the other apprentices started looking around frantically. Hawkpaw hissed to try to discreetly bring order, but everyone was more concerned about the possibility of NightClan warriors than the need for subtlety.

The ears I had spotted earlier rose from the grass. A tom with a black pelt stepped out from the rock's shadow, and I could swear I saw his muscles rippling with every step he took towards us. We all froze as his green eyes slowly examined us.

"You're a little close to the border to be doing battle training," he said. Despite the circumstance, his voice was calm and collected. He didn't seem angry or concerned, only mildly curious.

I looked to Hawkpaw, who had frozen at the warrior's appearance. We had been sent to distract a patrol, but instead we had only drawn the attention of a single warrior. However, that warrior was just as large and intimidating as I had expected. None of us spoke or moved. Aside from the occasional flick of an ear, all of us were as still as stone.

"And where are your mentors?" the warrior continued. "It's strange that the LilyClan would leave their apprentices so close to the border unattended."

That finally snapped Hawkpaw out of her stupor. "They're nearby," she told him. "I'm supervising the apprentices for now."

The tom looked at Hawkpaw curiously. "And why would the LilyClan leave a medicine cat apprentice in charge of this lot?"

"That's none of your business!" Ebonypaw snapped.

Everyone looked at her with surprise, the NightClan tom included. "You're certainly a feisty one," he commented humorously.

"Don't laugh at me!" Ebonypaw protested. "LilyClan are the fiercest clan in the valley! And everyone knows that the fiercest clan is always the strongest clan!"

The tom _mrrowed_ in amusement. "If you say so," he said. He turned away, and then looked over his shoulder. "Since you don't seem to be causing any trouble, I'll let you get back to your training. However, I'd suggest you keep your paws off the border."

No one dared to make a move as the warrior walked away, disappearing in the tall grass and looming shadows of his territory.

"We failed," Shadepaw finally said.

"It's not our fault the NightClan patrol didn't come by," said Hawkpaw. "But this could mean trouble. We're heading back to camp."

"Shouldn't we stay here until the patrol does come?" Ebonypaw asked.

Hawkpaw shook her head. "I think he was a part of the dawn patrol," she said. "Either way, it's already past the time the dawn patrol was supposed to be here. I doubt they would patrol late after what Brightstar said at the Gathering, so they rather left early, or sent that warrior to check on us. Either way, there's no point in us staying here any longer." She turned, her tail drooping, and padded in the direction of camp. We followed, as silent as mice.

* * *

 **Thought there was going to be a fight scene did you? Don't worry, with tensions running this high, a fight will break out soon. Pretty soon the story's going to accelerate timewise. As much as I like having Frostpaw as an apprentice, she needs to grow and mature to tackle new challenges.**

 **As I'm sure you've noticed, I have been updating extremely irregularly. That's because My writing time has been sporadic during the school year. Now that summer's here I'll have more time, but I still can't guarantee regular updates. I like this story, but since (sadly) the Warriors fan-base is pretty much dead, this story isn't high on my "to update" list. I originally was going to put this on official hiatus to work on my more popular stories, but I think that you guys deserve better. I'll keep updating when I can, and hopefully I don't have any more 2-3 month long gaps between 2k chapters again.**

 **'Till next time,**

 **-RainEStar**


	9. Chapter 8

**So I was going through my docs, looking for something to write, and then I realized that I had this lying around _unpublished_. Surprise!**

* * *

The wait in camp was worse than the wait at the border.

Lilacbreeze had been at the entrance of camp when we arrived. She had asked her apprentice how it went, but Hawkpaw just shook her head. That pretty much summed up our interactions with the older cats. Stormclaw stood stoically at the entrance with Lilacbreeze; his ears straining to catch the slightest sound of trouble. We were lucky to have at least one elder that still had decent hearing. Tansyflower and Whiskerflower stood on either side of the nursery entrance while the queens stayed inside with their kits. The other apprentices and I hadn't been given a job to do, so we just tried our best to remain alert.

Despite all that was going on, one thing about camp remained unchanged. We could all smell Brightstar in her den. I could understand why she didn't go with the attacking parties—she looked older than even the elders—but I thought it was selfish of her to remain safely inside her den while the rest of us were preparing to be attacked at any moment.

The time seemed to pass more slowly than I had felt it pass in my entire life. None of us dared leave camp to go hunting, and since the elders, queens, and kits had to be fed first from yesterday's leftovers, we apprentices were stuck with picking at bones. Darkpaw had managed to snag a half-eaten bird from the nursery, and he shared it with Shadepaw and I. I spied Ebonypaw crawling into the apprentice den with the measly remains of a mouse, as if she expected someone to take it from as she ate. Shadowpaw was sinking into a squirrel's tail, trying to find meat under that massive amount of fur.

Finally, around sunhigh, Lilacbreeze jumped up in alarm. Her movement stirred Stormclaw, who had fallen asleep at his post.

"Wh-what?" Stormclaw stammered as he looked around. "What's going on?"

"Shhh!" Lilacbreeze hissed. "Someone's coming."

I flexed my claws in and out, stabbing the grass beneath my paws. Lilacbreeze sniffed the air, and gave a sigh of relief.

"They're our clanmates," she announced. I'm pretty sure I heard the entire clan sigh in relief, myself included. "They're moving slow, so they're not being chased. But I can smell their wounds from here. Hawkpaw, bring all available herbs to the apprentice den. I doubt the medicine at den will be able to hold everyone."

Normally, I'm pretty sure at least _some_ of the other apprentices would protest their den being repurposed. However, the relief that our clanmates were returning seemed to overrule any other thoughts.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, our clanmates emerged from the entrance. Treefall led the way, followed by Flametail and Tansyfoot. Warriors poured into the camp, some walking, some limping, and some half-carrying others. Not a single warrior was unmarred from the fight. The toms were the worst off. Duskeye was being supported between Blackclaw and Shortclaw, who were suffering from pretty bad injuries of their own. Mousestorm was leaning heavily against Blossombreeze as they entered the camp. His eyes were vacant, as if he was asleep. The only she-cat who had taken even close to the same amount of injuries was Violetheart, who—despite a long scar running up one of her forelegs—managed to limp into camp without needing any support.

Treefall immediately took Brightstar's position on the Highperch, the tallest point in camp. "Cats of the LilyClan!" she yowled. "We have beaten back the NightClan, defeating them in their own camp without a single casualty to our own!"

Cheers rang out through the camp. But as I watched the badly injured warriors being led into the apprentice den by Lilacbreeze and Hawkpaw, I wondered how close we had come to losing some of our warriors.

"We were outnumbered, and they sentries waiting for us when we arrived," Treefall continued. "However, due to our superior tactics, we were able to spring our ambush. We swarmed their camp, taking advantage of the close quarters they took shelter in to box in their movements. Every cat of the NightClan saw us that day, and now they know how we LilyClan cats fight! If they nip our sides, we slash their flanks! If they bat our ears, we bite their necks! We are strong because we are fierce!"

By the time Treefall ended her speech, the entire camp was in an uproar. There were cheers, cries for the blood of NightClan warriors, and yowls of victory. I buried my ears between my paws as I felt a throbbing pain building in my head. Treefall's words droned on like a bumblebee caught in a spiderweb.

A poke on my side regained me attention. Shadowpaw was sitting at my side, looking at me curiously. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine," I replied as I looked around. I was surprised to see that the crowd had dispersed. Some were lying around sleeping with cobwebs on their wounds. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep."

"I _what_?"

Shadowpaw nodded. "Yeah, and you looked so tired, I decided you could do with a bit of rest." She yawned and stretched. "I think I'll take a nap myself."

"Oh." That was the most eloquent word I could come up with off the top of my head. "Um, Shadowpaw?"

"Yeah?"

"Was there a reason you woke me up?"

"Oh, yeah," she said in realization. "I almost forgot! Blossombreeze is getting looked at by Hawkpaw right now, but she told me she wants to see you after she's done."

"Thanks." I felt a bit irritated that Shadowpaw had woken me up while forgetting the reason she did it in the first place—especially since my mentor was involved—but there was no point in getting angry with her. Despite her obliviousness, she tried her hardest to fit in, and I couldn't fault her efforts. While I could connect to Darkpaw and Shadepaw better than I could with either of my sisters, Shadowpaw was far from the worst littermate I could have.

I almost stuck my head into the medicine cat den before I realized my mistake. I turned around and headed to the apprentice, where I found Hawkpaw putting some cobwebs on a long gash on Blossombreeze's flank.

"That should do it," Hawkpaw told Blossombreeze. "Just be carefully to take it easy today. No hunting patrols, you might disturb the cobwebs by pouncing or running. You're fit enough to go on a border patrol, but if you do, don't strain yourself."

"Understood," said Blossombreeze. Then she noticed me in the entryway. "Frostpaw! You arrived just at the right time. Let's take a walk."

"Okay," I replied. I looked past my mentor and saw Hawkpaw mouthing to me. It looked like ' _Keep her calm_ ', but I wasn't certain.

"I was so worried about you," Blossombreeze told me as she slipped out of the den. "Did the patrol hurt any of you?"

I shook my head. "We didn't even see a patrol," I replied. "A lone warrior approached us and warned us to stay away from the border."

"A lone warrior?" my mentor echoed. "By the way the camp was guarded, I thought that they wouldn't send a group smaller than three warriors outside of camp."

I frowned as I went over the details of the morning encounter. "We were by the border, and we didn't bother staying quiet," I said half to myself. "Shadowpaw said she heard something, and then I spotted a warrior hiding nearby. But we weren't able to figure out if he was completely alone or not. No, we didn't even try to know if he had friends nearby. We just retreated back to camp as fast as we could." My ears drooped in shame as I realized the truth. We had been cowards.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," said Blossombreeze. "Every moment counted, and your distraction may be the reason that we actually manage to escape without casualty."

"Really?"

"Yes," she replied. Then she paused, and glanced around camp. I followed her gaze as she eyed the lounging warriors, some of whom were still licking their wounds. "How about we take a walk outside of camp?" she suggested.

"But Hawkpaw wants you to—"

" _I_ am not going to do anything," Blossombreeze cut me off. "You're going hunting, I'll just be supervising. How about it?"

I eyed the wound on her side. "Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry so much, Frostpaw. That's my job," she joked. Or at least, I thought she meant it as a joke.

I nodded, and we made our way to camp entrance. However, as fate would have it, leaving camp turned out to be a bit more difficult than we anticipated.

"And where do you think you're going?" Treefall asked us. She had been lying down a few tail lengths from the entrance. She was so still that I had thought she was sleeping like most of the warriors.

"The fresh-kill pile needs replenishing," Blossombreeze replied with a polite nod. "I thought it would be a good idea for us to—"

A flick of Treefall's tail cut her off. "All groups that leave camp must have at least three warriors," she informed us. "At least until we're certain that the NightClan have learned their lesson."

"But half of our warriors aren't even fit to leave camp," Blossombreeze pointed out. "How are we supposed to catch fresh-kill like this?"

"Then we grow hungry until our warriors are fit enough," Treefall growled. Blossombreeze shrank back with her ears flat against her head. "If you want to help the clan so badly go and find some warriors to go with you."

Just then, Snowfern, a white she-cat, bounded over to us. "Treefall, Hawkpaw wants to see you," she announced.

"I'm fine," Treefall grunted. "The other warriors can get looked at first."

"All of the warriors have been examined already," Snowfern replied. "You and Violetheart were the last ones left, and Lilacbreeze is taking care of Violetheart in her den with the other badly injured warriors."

Treefall sighed. "I'm coming," she muttered. "Keep an eye on the entrance, and don't let anyone out unless they have at least three warriors with them. Understand?"

Snowfern blinked. "Oh, um, yes? Sure, I guess."

Treefall snorted as she walked away. I noticed a nasty-looking gash that ran across one of her hind legs up to her underbelly. I winced, wondering why she hadn't gotten that injury treated sooner. But knowing Treefall's attitude, I thought better of asking.

Snowfern turned to Blossombreeze and me. "Did you two want to leave camp?" she asked.

Blossombreeze nodded. "We'll have to see if there are two other warriors who are willing to go with us though," she said.

Snowfern turned her head and eyed Treefall's tail as it slipped into the apprentice den. "As long as you find a group on your way back, I think you'll be fine," she said.

Blossombreeze shook her head. "I'd rather not take the chance," she replied. "Thanks anyway." Snowfern purred as Blossombreeze and I turned away from the entrance.

A quick glance around camp showed us that there was no way we could find two willing warriors to join us on our trip outside camp. So we decided to lie down in a shady corner of camp.

"Was Snowfern suggesting to us to ignore Treefall's order?" I asked my mentor as we finished settling onto he grass.

"In a sense," Blossombreeze replied.

"But why?" I asked. "Is she trying to get us in trouble?"

Blossombreeze shook her head. "Snowfern and I are littermates," she replied. "She's a loyal warrior, but when Mousestorm or I are involved, she has a tendency to bend the rules." Blossombreeze stifled a laugh as she continued. "I remember when we were apprentices she would end up getting us into trouble for the silliest things. We once thought that Mousestorm—he was Mousepaw back then—had caught whitecough. Instead of doing the smart thing and telling a warrior, we walked into the apprentice den and tried to treat him ourselves. Luckily Lilacbreeze came back in time to stop us from giving a collection of… what was it again? Oh yes, poppy seeds, comfrey, and a few other herbs. We almost made him sick for real."

"So you're still close to your littermates," I asked.

"Very close," Blossombreeze replied with a nod.

"Oh."

Blossombreeze peered at me curiously. "Why do you ask?"

I flattened my ears against my head. "I don't see Darkpaw or Shadepaw often anymore, Ebonypaw's annoying and annoying, and Shadowpaw… well, she acts like she's not always there, you know? And we're only apprentices. We're not even halfway to being warriors, and we've already spread so far apart."

"And you're worried that when you become warriors you won't be close to them at all?"

I nodded glumly.

Blossombreeze rubbed my flank with her nose. "Don't worry, most apprentices think about these kinds of things," she told me. "Transitioning from being a kit to being an apprentice is hard. You won't see your littermates as often, and as a warrior your duties will continue to grow. But if you try, you'll find time to be with them. Trust me."

I nodded. We laid there in the shade, curled up next to each other, until I remembered something important. "Blossombreeze, what did you want me to come with you for anyway?" I asked. Not hearing a response, I turned to see Blossombreeze fast asleep. I started to lie down for a nap myself, but then I stood up and walked to the center of camp. There I found Darkpaw and Shadepaw, curled up next to each other, napping in the warm sunlight. I snuggled in between them, closed my eyes, and let myself drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **I feel like I should make the chapters longer to cram in more of Frostpaw's life. I could make a whole lot more chapters, but the ball needs to get rolling soon. On the other hand, simply adding more info to a chapter isn't easy. What what you guys want? Stall a bit on the chpater for more calm stuff before the explosion, or try an extension of chapter length?**


	10. Chapter 9

**Happy New Year's Day my readers! And to my fellow hatians,** **Bonne Année! Enjoy!**

* * *

The next moon passed by swiftly. The NightClan still hadn't made its counterattack, so Treefall's restrictions carried on. Since I was stuck in camp more often, I found more times to interact with my littermates. Well, I tried to interact with them.

Darkpaw and Shadepaw were almost always out of camp, and I noticed that Twilightpaw—the only other tom apprentice—was just as busy as they were. I couldn't figure out who or what was keeping them so busy, and they wouldn't tell me anything when I asked. Still, it was good to have them around when I could.

Shadowpaw tended to be abandoned in camp by her mentor a lot, so I had plenty of opportunities to talk to her. Too many, in my opinion. One day, when I was stuck in camp because a thorn went deep into my paw, Shadowpaw decided to keep me company since she had been left in camp _again_. By the end of the day, I completely understood why her mentor left her behind so often.

Ebonypaw… I tried to talk to her. I really did. It's just that there was only so much of her snobby chatter I could take before I searched for an excuse to visit Leafblossom or the elders. She was sounding more and more like our mother every day, and that terrified me.

Just when I thought my life had finally settled into a somewhat constant routine, it was time for the next gathering. I was pleasantly surprised that out of all the apprentices I was chosen to go with Darkpaw, Ebonypaw, and Twilightpaw. Well, that wasn't including Hawkpaw, who I thought of more of a full medicine cat than an apprentice. I wondered why she didn't have her ceremony yet, but I didn't feel comfortable asking about it.

The walk to the Gathering place filled me with nervousness and excitement. Brightstar's attack last moon had been met with silence, but tonight it was the night we would find out if the NightClan had learned to fear us, or if they had been simply bidding their time for an even larger counterattack.

"What do you think Hazelstar will say about our attack?" Darkpaw asked.

I shrugged. "From what I saw last gathering, Hazelstar isn't very combative. But we did attack his camp, and I know that if I was leader, I'd be really angry about that."

"Angry enough to attack us during the truce?"

I shrugged again.

Conversation died as we reached the Gathering place. The RoseClan had already arrived, and watched us curiously as we entered camp. At first I thought they just had idle curiosity, but then I realized that they were staring at our warriors' battle wounds. None of our warriors who had serious injuries had come to the gathering, but the ones that were here still showed signs of our raid from almost a moon ago. I could only hope that the NightClan looked worse off.

"I see Ripplepaw and Goldenpaw," Darkpaw whispered to me as he angled his ears towards the two apprentices we had met last gathering. "Think we should go talk to them?"

I looked around at my clanmates for some sort of clue. The warriors made no motion to approach the RoseClan cats, and vice versa. Ebonypaw and Twilightpaw were staying close to their mentors—Darkpaw and I didn't have our mentors with us. Only the elders and medicine cats dared to cross the invisible line between our clans.

"I'm… not sure they'd want to talk to us," I said hesitantly. I still remembered how they had turned their heads away when the NightClan apprentice, Grasspaw, had started an argument with Darkpaw. I couldn't tell if they were trying to stay neutral, or if they didn't want to associate themselves with cats from the same clan as Brightstar. Either way, I couldn't blame them.

Darkpaw shrugged and fell silent. I had half-expected him to insist that we talk to them, but I preferred the silence.

It was then that the NightClan made their appearance. Unfortunately, they didn't look worse off than our LilyClan warriors. If anything, they appeared to be in even better condition. I couldn't find a single elongated scar or torn ear on any of their warriors, and there were a lot of them. If their clan was close to the size of the LilyClan, their camp would have been short on defenses.

"This doesn't look right," Darkpaw whispered to me.

I nodded. As the NightClan filtered in, they separated into smaller groups. They seemed determined not to cross the invisible boundaries between the other clans… and each other. None of their elders were present and only their medicine cat—whose name I didn't know—made a move to interact with cats from the other clans.

Juniperstar yowled to announce the start of the Gathering. "The RoseClan will go first," she declared. She looked at her two fellow leaders, as if expecting a challenge. Brightstar stared into the sky with narrowed eyes, while Hazelstar seemed to keep his attention focused on everything except the cats he was surrounded by. With a satisfied nod, Juniperstar continued, "Prey is running well in the RoseClan. Rainwater from upstream has kept our territory green and lush."

"Are you done spouting pointless good news?" Brightstar huffed. Her eyes were still fixed on the starry night sky

"Better to have good news than bad news," Juniperstar replied coolly. "Would you like to go next?"

Brightstar grunted in response. I couldn't tell whether she was trying to agree or not. Based on the look on Juniperstar's face, I guessed that she didn't know either.

An awkward silence hung over the Gathering place. Cats started to whisper amongst themselves. Finally, Hazelstar cleared his throat.

"I suppose I'll go next," he said. Juniperstar nodded, but Brightstar still didn't turn her eyes from the sky. "Prey is running well in the NightClan," he announced. "Our apprentices are continuing their training nicely, and I have no doubt that our clan will continue to grow stronger in the coming moons."

"Too bad it isn't strong enough now, isn't it?" Brightstar hissed. At least, that's what I thought she said. She was speaking to quietly for me to hear her clearly. All I could tell was that the NightClan cats closer to the leaders were hissing angrily at her. Even though she was still looking at the sky, I could tell by the way her ears flicked that she had heard them. And it might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw the edges of her lips curl into a smile.

Hazelstar frowned. "Brightstar, your attack was unwanted," he said. "I thought that a moon would be long enough for you to cool off, but it appears that you're still out for blood."

"We're at war, you foxbrain," Brightstar replied. "What do you want me to do, lie down on my belly and nap in the sun?"

"I'd suggest that over making another attempt of raiding my camp," Hazelstar replied. "We never meant to harm any of your apprentices, and our fights at the border were never supposed to come close to camp. Can't we just end this misunderstanding before something really bad happens?"

"I see," said Brightstar slowly. "You're too scared to fight the LilyClan."

"I am not—"

"Yes, you are," Brightstar growled. "We decimated your camp with a night raid, and what was your response? Nothing. Nothing!" Hazelstar opened his mouth to speak, but Brightstarcut him off. "You're a spineless leader Hazelstar. We all know it, and it's about time someone said it. With you as the NightClan's leader, our war is nothing more than a joke." Finally, Brightstar turned her eyes from the sky and faced the assembled cats. "LilyClan we are at peace with the NightClan now. There's no point in fighting a war with mice led by this piece of crowfood."

Finally, the NightClan cats raised their hisses to furious yowls. Hazelstar looked dazed as he said to Brightstar, "Call me what you like, all I want is peace for my clan."

"A tom without brains, what news," Brightstar grumbled. At this point I had to do my best reading her lips to guess what she was saying. "And this one decided to match with a missing spine."

I watched as each clan bound more tightly with its members. Even the NightClan's scattered groups were starting to merge. And now the NightClan weren't the only ones raising their voices. LilyClan warriors joined in the fray, hurling insults at the NightClan warriors. Even a few RoseClan warriors decided to enter the argument, though it was impossible to tell whose side they were on.

"What is Brightstar trying to get out of this?" I asked myself aloud.

To my surprise, Darkpaw replied, "She wants the NightClan to fight us, but after our last fight with them, I don't think we stand much of a chance of winning a real war."

"Yeah, that raid didn't go so well," I mused. Then I remembered something Blossombreeze told me. "What if she wants them to raid us?"

Darkpaw turned to me in surprise. "What good would that do?" he asked.

"The raid looked like it was a draw at best," I said. "They expected an attack, and they had home terrain. But we still managed to do some damage. If we took the fight on our territory, we would stand a much better chance of winning."

"But the elders, queens, and kits would be in danger," said Darkpaw. "If Brightstar brings the fight to our camp, they could get hurt."

"True…" I replied slowly. "But maybe she wouldn't mind."

Darkpaw did not seem surprised by the suggestion. Instead, he gave me a slow, understanding nod.

Juniperstar raised his voice to be heard above the din. "Is there any other news to adress?" she asked. Hazelstar shook his head. Brightstar gave no response. "The Gathering is now over!" the RoseClan leader declared. She immediately jumped down to her clanmates, who quickly gathered to leave.

Hazelstar sighed as he looked at Brightstar. After a polite dip of his head, he also rejoined his clanmates. It took the NightClan longer to gather, as they began drift back into their smaller clusters as Hazelstar approached. Some crowded towards him, others shrank away, and others looked at him with what I can only describe as disgust.

Soon it was only our clan that had yet to leave. Some of my clanmates shifted anxiously as they looked to Brightstar and Treefall for directions. I saw Twilightpaw discreetly shuffle closer to the Gathering boundaries, and it wasn't a long before a few of the warriors joined is lead.

"Did you see that?" Brightstar's voice cut through the night, freezing everyone in place. Her voice wasn't loud; in fact, she was speaking softer than she had been through the gathering. But her tone carried a sense of victory to it. "The NightClan are weaklings, and the RoseClan are cowards."

No one made any response to her statement. "When I was a young warrior, the NightClan, RoseClan, and LilyClan were all led by toms. Foxbrained, vicious, lazy toms. They focused on fighting, while they expected she-cats to spend their lives quietly nursing kits. When they weren't busy with their kits, they were expected to hunt for the clan. The warrior code was in shambles, and the clans were ruled by tradition that grew more out of control with every generation."

Brightstar rose to all four of her paws, holding herself erect. Even though she was old, frail, and a little on the small size—even for a LilyClan cat—the burning fury in her amber eyes made me want to run all the way back to camp. The bright moonlight illuminated her grey fur, making it appear as though she was glowing. I cautiously scooted as close to Darkpaw as I could.

"The clans needed to be shown the light, and no one wanted the task," Brightstar continued. "I, an orphaned she-cat, who was the unspoken runt of the clan, had to take that burden upon myself. Under my leadership, I showed the LilyClan that intelligent, diligent she-cats were much better suited for leadership than lazy toms who knew nothing outside of violence."

I remembered the elders telling me that Brightstar had taken over the clan by convincing the strongest warriors who were sympathetic to her cause to fight a battle against the remaining warriors—while outnumbered two to one—as she led her she-cats in one-sided battle against the leaders of the clan. It was easy for me to decide which version of the story I would believe.

"After the first blood, it only takes a stretch of the claws for a warrior to reveal their true nature!" Brightstar declared. "The RoseClan, as usual, will keep to themselves. The NightClan has fragmented over our battle, and will soon crumble before us. Tonight, we will revel in our victory! The fierce are the ones with power! LilyClan!"

The gathering area became full of clanmates crying "LilyClan" and "Brightstar". Our leader scanned the crowd with confident grin on her face. I shuddered as her eyes briefly passed mine. Something in her gaze worried, no, terrified me. It was like I was staring into pit searing flames and fresh ashes. Her gaze tore at me, threatening to rip my spirit from my body and burn it slowly before my very eyes. I forced myself not to flinch, instead opening my mouth to cheer with the rest of my clanmates, only to have my throat run so dry I couldn't even croak.

"You okay?" Darkpaw asked. I shook my head, still unable to speak. He nodded, and pressed his fur against mine. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Whatever Brightstar's doing, at least it looks like we won't have to fight."

I nod mutely, praying to StarClan for Darkpaw to be right.

And for me to be wrong.

* * *

 **I'm so glad I managed to finish this chapter today, even if I am uploading it a few hours later than I would have liked. Still, I'm hoping to start off this year strong!**

 **I had expected to get more writing done during my winter break, but I'm afraid that I had a bout of 100% primary spontaneous tension pneumothorax on my left lung. For those of you who don't speak medicine (like me), I'll translate: my left lung went as flat as a pancake. And it was the day before finals week too. So, yeah, I've been working on make up finals and trying to readjust my body as I prepare for the cramming I'm going to have to do this month. If everything goes well, I'll have another chapter or two by the end of the month. Otherwise... Valentine's Day gift?**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Insanity and violence, what a thrilling combination.**

 **'Till next time,**

 **-RainEStar**


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